Zombies: A Shadamy Story
by Chocoholic Princess
Summary: When tragedy strikes Station Square, Amy Rose is one of the few survivors trying to stay alive. But, when Shadow and Sonic get involved, she gets more than she bargained for when the fight for survival gets more intense...
1. The stranger

Hey guys! I'm back with a whole new story. This one has a whole lotta zombies...and Shadamy moments! I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it. I'll be updating my other story soon, but for now, enjoy this one! Please review - I'd love some feedback. :)

Disclaimer - I do not own any characters, only the plot of this story.

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><p><strong>Amy's POV<strong>

"I've had a really great time with you and Cream, Rouge." I said as I smiled and adjusted the heavy shopping bags that were hanging from my arms. The handles were digging in and leaving marks. It hurt like hell! Rouge, Cream and I had just been to the mall for some girl time together. Cream had to leave the mall before us, though, because her mom, Vanilla, wanted her back early.

"I'm glad, hon. I did, too. And I'm pretty sure Cream enjoyed it as much as we did." Rouge replied, referring to the huge smile that graced Cream's face we said our goodbyes. We gave each other a hug, laughing.

"Well, I gotta go. We should definitely do this again sometime soon." Rouge said as she let go of me. I smiled at her.

"Sure thing. I'd love to."

Rouge waved at me before turning her back and heading down the stairs of my apartment building. I fished through my bag and found my keys. I unlocked my door and stepped into my apartment. I had cream walls and a beautiful wooden flooring, with a brightly coloured rug in front of the fireplace. I placed my bags down next to my cream sofa and walked out to my small balcony. My apartment was on the second floor from the top. It had a beautiful view over Station Square. The sky was filled with dark clouds, indicating that a storm would happen some time soon. I walked back inside, shutting the balcony door behind me, and started putting my new clothes into my closet. I pulled out a gorgeous blue halter neck top which Cream had picked out for me. It had silver swirls on the front and it fit me perfectly. It reminded me of Sonic, too. I sighed. If only Sonic and I could become an item...

I shook my head, ending the thought, and put my new top on a hangar and hung it in my closet. Next, I pulled out a pink skirt. I admired the way it slightly flared out at the bottom. I hung it in my closet with the rest of the outfits I had bought with my best friends. When I had finished, I felt a little thirsty. I headed to the fridge, hoping to find a diet coke hiding in there. To my dismay, there was no coke. I sighed and looked out my window. It hadn't started raining yet. Yes! I grabbed my coat and ran out the door, locking it behind me. I went to the elevator and pressed the button. About five seconds later, the elevator door opened and I stepped inside, pressing the button to go to the ground floor. I looked at my watch. It was five to ten! I had five minutes to get to the shop! As soon as the elevator doors opened, I bound out and raced out of the building and round the corner. I felt a few drops of water on my face. It had started to rain! Just my luck! I took a quick glance at my watch. Two minutes left! I ran round a few more corners, crossed the street and skidded to a halt outside my local shop. The elderly lady who owned the shop, Mrs Middleton, was just closing up. As she was closing the door, she saw me and opened it back up.

"What are you doing here at this time, young lady?" She asked me. I stepped into the shop, slightly wet from the rain and tried to get my breath back before answering her.

"I wanted to buy some drinks." I replied. Mrs Middleton laughed.

"You ran all this way, at this time of night, in this weather, to buy some drinks!"

I blushed. Now that I thought about it, it was kind of stupid.

"Well, I was rather thirsty and I had nothing else in. And you know I hate drinking water!"

"Well, if you're that desperate. What would you like?"

"I came for some diet cokes."

Mrs Middleton went to the fridge and retrieved three diet cokes for me. She scanned the bar code and pressed a few buttons on her till.

"That would be one dollar fifty cents please."

I handed her the money and picked up the cans. "Thanks. Sorry for being a bother." I said to her.

"Oh nonsense! You're never a bother, dear." She replied and walked with me to the door. We said goodbye and I started to walk back to my apartment. The rain was heavier than before and I hadn't brought an umbrella! I groaned and trudged along the streets in my wet clothing. The street lights illuminated the streets, casting ominous shadows.

All of a sudden, I felt an unknown feeling sweep over me. I shivered. I had no idea what it was, but I quickened my pace, feeling that something was wrong. Finally, I reached my apartment building. As I reached my hand out to open the door, I head a loud growl. I quickly snatched my hand away and looked around.

"H-Hello?" I asked the darkness. I heard another growl, this time it was louder. It was getting closer. I looked to my left and saw a figure stumbling down the street. I didn't see its face, but whom ever it was looked really, really drunk.

"Are y-you ok?" I asked, knowing I shouldn't really talk to strangers. The figure gave a loud moan and started to shuffle towards me. I felt a wave of fear come over me and pulled the door to my apartment building open. I heard it slam behind me. I ran up the stairs, not bothering to wait for the elevator. I just wanted to get to the safety of my room.

All the years of chasing Sonic around did me good; I was able to get most of the way up without breaking a sweat! But now, about three quarters of the way up, I was getting tired and losing energy quickly. I slowed my pace, hearing my heart beating. I had about four more sets of stairs to climb, when I suddenly heard a scream. I jumped and ran the rest of the way up the stairs, not daring to check out where the scream had come from.

I felt hot tears run down my face. A wave of relief washed over me as I found myself in the safety of my apartment. I put two of the three cokes in my fridge and opened the third one. I sipped it whilst thinking where the scream had come from. I decided to call Sonic. Picking up the phone, I dialled my hero's number.

_"Hey, you've reached Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm unable to take your call, but leave a message and I'll get back to ya."_

I ended the call, seeing no use in leaving a message for the blue hedgehog. He never checks them anyway. I sighed and finished my coke, then locked my door and headed to bed.

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><p>And there's chapter one. Please review! :)<p> 


	2. Sonic to the rescue!

I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to LordCooler, LilSassySally, Rose the daughter of a demon, Shadowlives600 and Graceheart306 for reviewing. I'm sorry I didn't get time to personally respond to some of your reviews, but that should change now I have more time on my hands. I'd also like to say thanks to all of you who have been reading and have favourited. (Favourited already? Wow. Thanks :))

So here is chapter two. Enjoy and review please. :)

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><p>My eyelids fluttered open, and I stretched my arms. Yawning, I got out of bed, taking a quick glance at my alarm clock. It read nine AM. Still half asleep, I shuffled to my bathroom, grabbing a few clean towels on my way and depositing them on the bathroom radiator. I turned the water on and took off my garments. When the water was heated to my satisfaction, I stepped in, enjoying the warm sensation. When I had finished showering, I stepped out and dried myself, putting on my usual red dress, boots and headband. After that, I decided on breakfast. Heading to the kitchen, I grabbed my cell phone and checked for any messages or missed calls. To my dismay, there were none. I sighed, fixing myself a bowl of cereal.<p>

As I sat on my couch with my breakfast, my mind cast back to last night. The scream. The person. Just what was going on? Shaking my head, I turned on my television and spooned some cereal into my mouth. I surfed through the channels, stopping on the local news.

_"Lock your doors and stay inside. Do not attempt to reach loved ones. Please stay tuned for information on your local rescue centre."_

I frowned. Just what was that about? All of a sudden, I heard a loud slam coming from down the hall. Swallowing my mouthful of cereal, I placed the bowl on my coffee table and opened my door.

I looked left and right down the corridor, but no-one was there. I checked the stairwell. Nothing.

Shrugging it off, I re-entered my apartment, closing the door behind me. It was probably a couple arguing or something. Another crash from outside caught my attention after that. What the hell is happening? I rushed out onto my balcony, looking at the streets below. My eyes widened as I felt my jaw drop. The sight was unbelievable. Everywhere. It was everywhere. Blood. Bodies scattered the road as people leaned over them.

They were _eating!_ I fought back the urge to scream as ran back inside and turned my attention back to the news.

_"Here we have Professor Carter who is going to explain just what is going on."_

_"This infection is by far the worst we at Station Square science department have ever seen and we are ultimately working on a cure for all infected. We are not sure what has caused this, but we have been analysing the behaviour of those infected. These beings are no longer your family members, co-workers or friends; they are horrible monsters that must be destroyed. If you wish to survive, you must shut yourself off from all infected persons immediately and seek protection. They seem to have a craving for human flesh, especially brains. __Do not, I repeat, do not come into contact with an infected's bodily fluids. This will ultimately result in you becoming one of them if it enters your bloodstream. The only way to kill them is by removing the head or destroying the brain. I shall repeat that, by removing the head or destroying the brain."_

I turned the television off, completely confused as to what was going on. The news report that I had just watched had scared the living daylights out of me. So, these..._things_...outside were infected with some kind of disease which makes them crave human flesh? How totally absurd! Was the science dude referring to these creatures as...Zombies? No, it couldn't be...could it?

Unfortunately, I had no more time to contemplate what the report was on about as I heard another loud crash...coming from _my_ _doorway!_ Panic surged through me at the thought of one of _them _in my apartment. I cautiously made my way to my door. As I peeked around the corner, I saw one of those creatures on the floor...on top of my door! It had broken it down and was now standing up, growling at had blood just about everywhere on its body, the sight was horrific.

Heart in my mouth, I raced to my kitchen, picking up the largest carving knife I could find. I turned my attention back to the zombie, who had now made its way into my apartment and was slowly limping its way towards me. I ran out of my kitchen, brandishing the knife. With one quick thrust and a battle cry, I plunged the knife into its head. As I pulled it out, bits of flesh and blood spewed everywhere. I screamed in horror at what I had just done. The zombie fell to the ground and I dropped the knife.

"OH MY GOD!" I yelled and broke down in tears. What was I going to do? I had no experience in killing people, much less _undead _people, so how was I going to survive? A thought popped into my head. I glanced at the doorway where the zombie had broken through to make sure there were no more, and then I ran to my bedroom and locked the door behind me. I grabbed my cell phone and called Sonic. I sat on the edge of my bed, nervously glancing at the door, before Sonic's voice answered.

_"Ames! Are you ok?"_ His voice sounded panicked.

"No! Sonic you have to help me! One of those things broke into my apartment and took down the door. I stabbed it in the head and ran into my room. Oh god what's happening?" I started to break down in tears again. This was all too much for me to handle.

_"Try and Calm down, Amy. I'll come for you. Keep the door locked and don't come out until I get there. See ya soon."_

"By Sonic. Please hurry." I closed my cell phone and placed it next to me. I walked to my window and looked out. There were still bodies out there...and people eating them.

"Please be ok." I whispered.

A bang on my door startled me.

"Ames! Are you in there?"

Sonic was here! I opened my door and ran into his arms, crying.

"Oh Sonic I'm so glad you're ok. I'm so scared!" I felt Sonic embrace me and try to calm me down.

"It's ok, Amy. I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you."

We just stood there, hugging each other and giving comfort, until Sonic broke the silence.

"Ames, we should really get out of here." He pulled away and looked at me.

"Y-yeah. But where will we go?"

"There's a community centre about half an hour away from here. That's the nearest safe point. We'll go there." Sonic replied and picked me up bridal style. "Hold on tight, Ames." He said and we sped off toward the building.

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><p>And there it is. I hope people weren't grossed out by the whole blood-and-guts-everywhere thing. The story does get more gory as it goes along, but i won't reveal too much. ;)<p>

Reviews are very much appreciated. :)


	3. Saved by the Shadow

I'm so sorry for the late update...and that I couldn't respond to some reviews. Anyway, I'm going on holiday at the weekend and I won't be back for a week. **So, If I get AT LEAST 6 REVIEWS for this chapter, I pinky swear I will update the day I get back. If not, well, it could be any time.**

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Your reviews make my day! ^_^

So, here's chapter three...

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><p>Sonic and I were metres away from the safe point. We had escaped crowds of zombies, dodged stray ones and now we were at our destination. Too bad it had been overrun by those things! We peeked out from behind the wall and I clung onto Sonic's arm for dear life.<p>

"What are we gonna do?" I whispered to my cerulean hero as he stared at the building opposite us.

"I dunno, Ames. But it looks like those things have overrun the building. It's too dangerous for us to risk going in."

I sat down with my back against the wall. Now what? My eyes suddenly darted to the left of me and I looked past Sonic. I sensed movement. I squinted, trying to see better in the dark. One of those things was coming towards us...and Sonic was completely oblivious!

"SONIC! BEHIND YOU!"

Sonic whipped his head around, only to be pushed down as the zombie lunged at him. I gasped in horror at what I had done. The crowd that were surrounding the safe zone were heading towards us. I risked a glance at Sonic. He was trying to pry the Zombie off of him, his hand pushing its face away before it could take a bite. Adrenaline pumping through me, I tore the zombie's body off Sonic and helped him up. He noticed the crowd nearing us and, picking up a nearby piece of pipe, started to fight them.

I had never seen Sonic fight like this, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures. Suddenly, I was pushed to the ground, one of those things growling in my face. I screamed in terror and looked for Sonic. The pipe was knocked out of his hands and he was struggling to retrieve it.

"SONIC! HELP!" I screamed. Seeing him so helpless, I was about to let the being devour me, so I shut my eyes and braced myself for an extreme amount of pain. However, to my relief, it never came, as I felt the weight being pulled off of me. I opened my eyes...to see Shadow!

I felt a wave of relief wash over me as Shadow helped me up. I frantically searched for Sonic, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Sonic!" I asked, and dashed forward towards the crowd of flesh-eaters.

"NO!" I heard Shadow yell and he pulled me back. "What were you thinking! We have to get away from here!" He growled and glared at me.

"But Sonic-"

I was cut off by a scream of pain. I looked to where it came from to see my beloved blue hedgehog being devoured by one of those things!

"SONIC! NO!" I felt tears run down my face as I stood there, not being able to rescue him. "Shadow! Do something! Save him!" I screamed. I frantically tried to pull myself out of Shadow's grasp but he was too strong. "Why aren't you helping him? Sonic!"

"Amy! Snap out of it! He's beyond help!" He pulled me back and held my arms firmly. "Do you want to end up like that?"

My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"I didn't think so. Let's go."

Shadow headed down the alleyway behind us and I turned around to face Sonic. There was blood everywhere. His blood. The zombies were enjoying their meal, while Sonic was just laid there. I thought he was dead, until he opened his eyes slightly and gave me a weak smile.

"Sonic..." I whispered.

"A-Amy. G-Go. Get o-out of here. Save your-yourself." He whispered back with what strength he had left. Then, his eyes closed, and I would never see those captivating green irises again...

My eyes suddenly widened. I forgot Shadow had left! I spun around and raced down the alleyway. I caught up to the dark hedgehog and slowed to a walk beside him. We walked in silence. It was killing me. I had just witnessed my one true love being ripped to shreds in front of me, and now I was stuck with the anti-social Shadow the hedgehog! Could things get any worse? I frowned, not really wanting an answer to that. Still, I should be grateful - he saved my life after all.

"Er...Thanks for helping me back there."

"Hmph" was all he said and he glanced at me briefly before concentrating on the path ahead. Oh boy. It seemed as if I had already angered him.

"Foolish girl. What the _hell_ were you thinking back there? You could of ended up like faker." Shadow said, breaking the silence between us. I flinched at his harshness.

"I-I know." I dared to say. "But you do crazy things when you're in love. And Sonic meant the world to me." A tear escaped from my eye and I quickly wiped it away before Shadow could see.

"Hmph. Whatever. We all know about your pathetic infatuation for that Faker. Do not bore me with your stories."

I mentally growled. How could Shadow be so heartless? He lost Maria back on Space Colony ARK, so shouldn't he be more understanding?

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to change the subject and trying to push these gruesome thoughts to the back of my mind.

"I've figured out a plan. We'll go to the nearest superstore. It should serve well for us to hide out and it has enough supplies to last us a few weeks, during which we will figure out the next step of the plan."

Wow. That sounded like one heck of a plan! But did Shadow have any weapons, or was he planning on using a chaos emerald?

"Do you have any weapons?"

"Duel pistols and a rifle. Why?"

"I-I was just wondering how you were planning on killing those things."

"Do you have your hammer?"

"N-no. Why?"

Shadow sighed. "Do you have _anything _to defend yourself with?"

"I'm quite good at hand-to-hand combat." I grinned, feeling pleased with myself.

Shadow stopped abruptly and looked at me. "Do you _really _think that using your fists is going to kill them?"

Way to burst my bubble. I frowned, feeling utterly stupid. "You're right. Then I guess I don't have any means of defence. I'm probably gonna die before we get to the superstore."

"No. Don't say that." Shadow snapped. "I won't let you get hurt, but you have to do everything I tell you. When I say move, girl, you better move."

I gulped. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I disobeyed him, so I just nodded and carried on walking. Shadow caught up to me.

"Are you scared?" He asked.

"Of course! Who wouldn't be after just witnessing their crush killed before their eyes?" I replied.

"Hmph." Was all he said before we carried on the rest of our journey in silence.

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><p>Ooh. What's gonna happen with Shadow and Amy? What problems will they encounter as they fight their way to the superstore? Only I know...But, you'll know quicker if you review! ;)<p>

REVIEW PLEASE. :D


	4. A stupid mistake

Well, I'm back from my holiday! I hope the wait for this chapter hasn't been so bad. So, I got six reviews and, as promised, here's chapter four. Thanks so much for the reviews. It was lovely coming back and reading them all. I'm so glad people like this story!

Please leave a review!

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><p>"Look! There it is." I whispered, peeking from around the corner of a building.<p>

"Stay hidden, Rose." Shadow replied before slightly pulling me back. Sure enough, the superstore car park was swarmed with those things. Chaos knows how many were inside!

"The car park is too crowded for us go through the front doors. From what I can see, those doors are still perfectly intact. We'll go around the back way." He said. I felt my knees trembling.

"B-b-but what about inside! We don't know how many of them are in there!" I hissed.

"I know, but it's a risk we must take. We are not safe out here."

I wasn't sure if we'd be safe in there either, but I didn't have a better plan and there was no way I was going to go against Shadow. I shivered slightly at what he would do.

"Right, We'll sneak around these cars, past the bushes, around the wall and into the building. Got it?" His red eyes bore into mine.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Follow me and _do not _make any sound. If I hear so much as a squeak from you, I will abandon you so fast you won't know what happened!"

My eyes widened and I gulped. What would I do without Shadow?

_"I warned you, Rose!" Shadow left a golden streak behind as he skated at light speed into the building. "SHADOW!" I yelled. The zombies were surrounding me. I had no-where to run. One of them came up to me and grabbed my shoulders..._

"Rose!" Shadow hissed, shaking my shoulders.

"Ahhh! No! Get off!" I flailed my arms in an attempt to free myself from the grip.

"Rose! Shut up!" I blinked, realising where I was. I was safe! Well, safe with Shadow anyway. He placed his hand on my mouth and peaked around the corner. Soon after, he retracted his hand and looked into my eyes.

"What did I just tell you? Huh? You're lucky that none of _them_ heard your stupid outburst."

I silently cursed. "S-sorry."

"Hmph, Idiot." I heard him mutter. "Come on!" He whispered harshly and dragged me to behind one of the cars. I felt a blush creep its way onto my face. Shadow the hedgehog was holding my hand!

_'Oh relax, Amy. He's doing it so you don't get left behind.'_

_'If he doesn't want me to get left behind, then he must care!'_

_'Pfftt! That's what you want to think.'_

I groaned inwardly. I was having a conversation with my sub-conscious! Shadow was right. I was an idiot...

I was pulled from my thoughts by Shadow roughly dragging me behind the bush and crouching down. I looked at our surroundings and saw that we had made it past the cars and the few zombies that were around there. Maybe we had a chance of surviving after all!

I gasped at a growling noise...coming from right in front of me! My jaw dropped in horror as I saw a face through the gap in the bush. It was staring right at me! I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying not to make any noise. I think I was more scared of what Shadow would do rather than of those things.

After a few minutes, which felt like hours to me, the zombie had passed and Shadow and I silently made our way to the back of the building where surprisingly, there was only one zombie.

"What do we do now?" I whispered, still holding Shadow's hand.

He furrowed his eyebrow, deep in thought. "I'm gonna have to kill it with my bare hands."

I grimaced at the thought. "Why not just shoot it." I replied, pointing to the two pistols that Shadow had in his holster.

"Ugh. Are you that much of an idiot, Rose? If I shoot it, then the shot will alert all the others nearby, not good! I could only shoot it if I had a silencer, which I don't!" He hissed.

I liked the sound of this silencer. It meant Shadow could shoot the zombies without others hearing. It definitely sounded better than killing it with bare hands. Unfortunately, that is just what Shadow was preparing to do. Which meant I would be left alone...

"Sh-Shadow. How are you going to kill it with your hands? I thought you said that only weapons could kill them?"

"In your case, yes. But not in mine."

"Huh? What do you mean in my case?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Well, I highly doubt you would know how to snap someone's neck, Rose."

I nearly puked at that thought, which made Shadow smirk. "Thought not." He replied and took the rifle from around his back. "Take this." He thrust it into my hands and pressed a small button. I was surprised at how heavy it was.

"Why?"

"Because I cannot kill this thing with a heavy rifle swinging from my back can I?"

"Guess not." I shrugged.

"I've enabled the safety lock. If you pull the trigger, it won't fire. Just keep a tight grip on it, don't drop it, and keep quiet."

And with that said, Shadow moved towards the stagnant being in front of us. He carefully made his way around discarded shopping trolleys, baskets and random bodies. I cringed as Shadow slipped in some blood. He quickly put his hand on the wall to steady himself before he fell and alerted the zombie. After he regained his composure, Shadow crept behind the being. Placing one arm around its neck, and the other on its forehead, Shadow twisted the head and a sickening crack echoed through the night. I grimaced as the zombie's head rolled off its shoulder and onto the floor. Shadow threw the body down and came back to me.

"That was utterly disgusting."

Shadow smirked. "Well, you didn't have to watch."

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh, let's just get inside please."

Shadow took the gun from me and walked to the door, motioning for me to follow. He twisted the doorknob and it clicked open. We stepped inside and closed the door behind us. We were in the stock room. Shadow walked over to the wall, where various garden equipment was stacked. He picked up a shovel, examined it, and gave it to me. I raised my eyebrow in question. Shadow rolled his eyes.

"It's for your defence, Rose."

"Why don't you just give me one of your guns?"

"Because I'm assuming that you have no experience in firearms. These bullets must last and I don't want you shooting everything but zombies if we get in any danger." Shadow replied, loading his rifle. I guess he had a point. Besides, I had already killed one of those things with a knife, I'd probably be better with a shovel anyway. Shadow finished counting his bullets and looked at me.

"Let's go. Stay close to me and be quiet."

"What makes you think that I'll walk off? I'm not exactly gonna go exploring in a zombie-ridden superstore, am I?"

Shadow smirked. Ugh…does he have to be so sarcastic about everything? He reminds me of Sonic…

"I'm not sure you want me to answer that. But I'm serious. Do not wander off."

"Yeah yeah. Let's just go."

Shadow glared at me before walking to the doors that lead into the superstore. I gulped and gripped my 'weapon' tightly, ready for action.

Shadow gently pried the door open and went through, with me following. I gulped, looking around me. The smell of blood hit my nostrils and immediately made me feel sick. I didn't want to think about what the hell was going on in here, even though I already knew the answer. Shadow walked left, down the huge isle. He pointed his gun down the smaller isles, ready to open fire when needed.

I was scanning our surroundings, looking for danger, when I suddenly slipped. I collided with Shadow, pushing him to the ground. To our discomfort, I fell on top of him. My head rested on his chest as I blushed at our current position. I looked at Shadow, who glared at me intensely. Shadow pushed me off him and stood up.

"What the hell were you playing at?" He whispered harshly.

I stood up from my position on the floor and came face to face with him. He was a good head taller than me, which made me all the more aware of how easily he could hurt me.

"I-I'm sorry. I slipped on something."

I assumed it was some kind of drink, as we were in the drinks aisle. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at what it was. It looked…red? Cherry juice maybe? I crouched down and frowned. No…not cherry juice. Blood. I quickly stood up and covered my mouth. I felt the back of my dress. To my relief, it was dry. I looked back at the floor and noticed there was a trail of blood leading down the aisle…to where Shadow and I were headed! Shadow cleared his throat and caught my attention. I turned to face him.

"Are you done yet, Rose?"

I blushed with embarrassment. "Erm, yeah. Sorry."

"Hmph."

Shadow continued walking down the aisle, with me still following. I was dreading what I would see when the trail of blood stopped. My gruesome thoughts were interrupted by a low growl coming from around the corner of the next isle. Shadow turned to look at me. He put his finger up to his lips and silently peeked around the corner. I noticed that the blood trail lead down there. I gulped and tapped on Shadow's arm. He looked at me and I pointed to the floor. His eyes followed my fingers and he nodded. I wanted to see what was around the corner, but something told me not to.

Nonetheless, I decided to look anyway. Very discreetly, I peeked out from the corner. In the middle of the aisle, was one of those things, feasting on some random body. It was disgusting, yet I still kept my eyes on the scene in front of me. A wave of nausea swept over me as the scene with Sonic came back to me. I couldn't help thinking if he had become one of those things…or if he ended up like the poor, defenceless person in front of me.

The body was that mutilated that I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. What was left of the insides was strewn across the floor as a pool of blood surrounded the body. The zombie was clearly enjoying its meal. It bit into the body's leg and ripped off a chunk of flesh, causing blood to spurt out. I put my hand over my mouth as I whimpered. But, it wasn't enough to conceal the sound, as the zombie's head slowly looked up…right at me.

That was most definitely the worst mistake I had made in my entire life.

"Sh-Shadow." I whispered, my body trembling in fear. I took my eyes off the zombie and looked at my companion, albeit I wish I hadn't. Shadow's ruby red eyes were piercing through mine. If looks could kill, I was pretty sure I'd be beyond dead by now. His glare was intense and I backed away from him in fear. I had really messed up now. He was probably going to kill me or leave me to die at the hands of these monsters.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Sh-Shadow." I stuttered stupidly.

Just as Shadow opened his mouth to answer, he looked past me, which made me frown. He then pointed his rifle and my eyes widened. I covered my ears and accidentally let out a scream as he fired. He pulled the trigger three times and after the third shot, he kept his gun aimed. After a few seconds, he stopped aiming and turned to look at me. I knew he was going to yell at me, so I tried to keep my eyes on the floor to avoid his gaze.

"Rose. Look at me." His voice broke the silence between us. It was surprisingly gentle. But still, I never looked at him.

"Rose. Look at me." His voice was harsher now. I decided not to prolong my death. It would be for the best if we just got it over and done with. I slowly raised my head and looked at him.

"I told you not to make a sound, didn't I?"

I gulped and nodded, suddenly not wanting to speak.

He sighed, looking around.

"You do realize what we are going to have to do now, don't you?"

I took a moment to think. Oh god…he was planning on killing me. I knew it. My life as Amy Rose ends here. I never got to fulfil my dream of marrying Sonic after all. Well, I guess I'd see him in heaven…unless he had turned into a walking corpse…

"You're right, Shadow. I'm sorry for making a noise. I guess you have no choice, you did say you would do it, after all."

I saw Shadow's brow arch a little. Was it confusion? "Yes. I'm afraid we have no choice. Brace yourself, Rose. You might get hurt. Well, chances are, you probably will…"

Shadow reloaded his gun and I gulped and closed my eyes. This was truly the end…

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><p>Ooh...a cliffhanger! What will happen to Amy? Why did Shadow seem confused? All will be revealed in the next chapter...<p>

Please review. You can suggest what you will think will happen.


	5. Fighting for our lives

I am soooo sorry for the late update. I've been so busy with school and whatnot. I hope you guys are still following. Anyway, I really need you guys to vote on the poll on my profile - it will determine the outcome of this story and what happens before we get to the end! Thank you!

I'd like to say a HUGE thanks to Lordcooler for helping me, so I'd like to dedicate this chapter to you.

Please review! :D

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><p>Silence. That's all I heard. Until, a gun shot sounded, making me scream. But still, I dared not open my eyes. Tears ran down my cheeks as I expected myself to fall to the floor. But wait…why wasn't I in pain? I felt my stomach. No blood. I felt my head. No blood. I frowned. Had he missed? Did he accidentally shoot another zombie instead of me? Is that what the thud was after the gunshot?<p>

I slowly opened my eyes and saw Shadow looking at me like I'd grown another head.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I questioned.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I-I was bracing myself. I didn't want to watch you do it."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"What you said you would do. Kill me if I made a noise."

Shadow then smirked. What in Mobius did he find so funny? This was no laughing matter.

"What's so funny?"

Shadow chuckled. "When asked you if you knew what we had to do now, what did you think I was talking about?"

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "About killing me. You did say you would do it and I know your threats are never empty."

Shadow let out a small laugh. "True, that was not an empty threat. But I was talking about another consequence, what would happen _because _you made a noise."

My eyes widened. What consequence?

"W-what are you talking about?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "The zombies in here. They will have heard the gunshot and are probably making their way towards us as we speak."

"Oh no! Shadow, I'm so sorry. But…why didn't you kill me?"

I saw Shadow's eyes soften slightly. "Maria." He muttered.

That one word was enough for me to know what he meant.

"Oh."

We were silent once more. I looked around, wondering how many of those things were lurking in the darkness. Then, at the far end of the superstore, a loud crash startled Shadow and I. We exchanged glances and he grabbed my hand, his gun in the other, and dragged me behind him.

We ran down the main aisle and suddenly turned a sharp corner. I was about to keep running, but Shadow let go of my hand and stretched his arm out in front of me…in an almost protective manner. I stopped and looked questioningly at him. He didn't pay me any attention, his gaze was focused on what was in front of us. Something inside me didn't want to see, but I reluctantly focused my vision ahead and after that, time seemed to stop.

"Oh. My. God." I muttered my mouth wide open. "Sh-Shadow." I started to shake.

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><p>I knew Shadow and I shouldn't have run to see what the noise was. It was only going to get us killed. But I guess the only way to feel remotely safe in the superstore was to clear out the building. There, stood before us, was a hoard of zombies…which Shadow and I had just ran right into. We stared in horror at what we had just done.<p>

I noticed a shelf down the aisle had collapsed and there were tins rolling around on the floor. That was the crash. The beings stared at us, hunger evident in their eyes. I gripped my weapon tightly, eyeing each of them, wondering which was going to strike first. One of them growled and lunged at Shadow. I screamed as he began to shoot the creatures. One of them came up to me and grabbed my arm. I swung my shovel at the head, knocking it off the shoulders.

I felt a surge of adrenaline through me. There were bodies falling left, right and centre, most of them killed by Shadow. I suddenly felt something grasp my leg, making me shriek once more. I looked down to see a zombie trying to gnaw at my ankle. What's worse, was that it was only a torso! Thinking quickly, I raised my shovel and brought it down with force onto the neck, detaching the head from the body.

I freed my ankle and started to cry. When will this nightmare end? All I wanted was to be in Sonic's arms, even if he didn't like me more than a friend, instead of being here with Shadow fighting for my life by ripping zombies' heads off their necks. I guess being with Shadow wasn't so bad, except his threats scared me. I took a quick glance at him. He was shooting them in the head with perfect aim! Well, I guess I could expect that from the ultimate lifeform. I found myself in a trance watching him. The concentration on his face was admirable. He and Sonic were just like each other, even though they would never admit it.

"ROSE!"

My name being called pulled me from my thoughts. I looked at Shadow, only to be tackled to the floor by him. A zombie flew over our heads as Shadow shot it. The body landed with a thud on the floor. Shadow stood up and then helped me up. I brushed myself down as I muttered thanks to him.

"Just be careful. I don't want to lose you to one of those damn things!" Shadow replied, jumping into action once more. I took a moment to register Shadow's thoughts. He didn't want to lose me? What did he mean by that? I thought he considered me an annoyance? From the corner of my eye, I saw a zombie stalking towards me. I hit it in the head with my weapon and it fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming around it. Why did this have to be so disgusting?

I cringed at the sight around me. The floor was stained red and bodies were littered across it. That was when I noticed there were more zombies than before. I figured the rest in here had found their way to us, and one of them came up behind Shadow. It grabbed his neck, trying to take a bite. Shadow couldn't seem to handle it. He dropped his rifle, trying to push away the one in front of him and stop the one behind him from biting.

I ran up to him and grabbed the rifle from the floor. I pointed it to the zombie behind, aiming carefully. I hoped Shadow wouldn't mind me using his gun, but if I saved his life he shouldn't be too bothered about it, right? Nonetheless, I pulled the trigger, letting out a squeal as the bullet hit my target. I was amazed that I had perfect aim. Shadow pushed the one in front to the ground and stood on its head, finishing it off. He came over to me.

"Nice shot, Rose." He smirked.

"Thanks." I replied and smiled. He took his gun from me and went back to the fight. There was only a small group left. Thank chaos! I was starting to lose energy fast due to hunger and drowsiness. After the last few had been killed, Shadow came up to me.

"You alright?"

I nodded, taking in the sight, still gripping my blood-covered shovel.

"Good. I have one round left for the rifle. I think that was all of them in here. Let's secure the windows and doors and rest up for the night."

"Alright. Hey, Shadow?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we…can we not come down this aisle? Please?" The sight was too much for me to handle.

Shadow chuckled. "Yes. We shall rest somewhere else." He then walked towards the front, where the tills were, and looked at the doors.

"Looks like they open automatically. I'll go in the back and bring down the shutters and lock the doors."

My eyes widened. That meant I'd be alone. Even if it was for only ten minutes, the thought of being by myself scared me.

"Sh-Shadow?"

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow.

I gulped. Shadow would think I'm such a baby if I can't even spend ten minutes by myself. I decided against asking if I could come.

"Nothing. I-It doesn't matter."

"…Alright. I'll be back soon. Keep away from the windows and keep your weapon on you, just in case. There is food down the next couple of aisles. Go grab some pillows and blankets from the other end of the store and set them up down here somewhere." Shadow commanded and then walked to the back of the superstore. I sighed. Looks like I'd just have to deal with it.

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><p>And there's the end of this chapter! Remember to review and vote on my poll!<p>

Thanks! :D :D :D


	6. A moment between us

Yes, I know it's been a while since I updated...I'm soooo sorry! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Shadow and Amy have a little romantic moment in here, so I'm sorry if you think it ruins the story, seen as Shadow would never do such a thing in his life. The poll on my profile concluded that people don't really mind him being all out lovey-dovey with Amy. So sorry for those who do mind it!

This is my christmas present to you guys! Can I have reviews for mine? :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS...or whatever you celebrate! :D

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><p>I took a deep breath and walked to the bedding aisle. Most of the blankets were on the floor. I didn't want to risk anything being on those, so I grabbed a huge blanket from the shelf. It was big enough to cover the two of us…if we slept close to each other. I wasn't sure what Shadow would make of that, but I figured it was better than a blanket covered in blood. I felt the fabric between my fingers. It was soft and light brown in colour. Next, I walked to the shelf opposite and grabbed two white pillows. I put the shovel under my arm and held the blanket and pillows as best I could.<p>

I couldn't wait to go to sleep. All this fighting had me drained. I made my way back to the food aisles, trying to stay in a positive mood. When I got back to the aisle, I laid out the blanket and pillows and placed my shovel on the floor. Sitting on the blanket, I yawned, wondering how long Shadow would be.

My head snapped to the side as I heard a creaking noise. I reached for my shovel just as the shutters came down. I guess he won't be much longer after all. My stomach suddenly rumbled. I stood up and looked at the food stuffs on the shelves. We were in the biscuit aisle. I grabbed a packet of chocolate ones and various others what I thought Shadow would like and set them down next to the blanket. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps.

"Oh, Shadow. You're finally back."

He didn't answer me. I frowned, wondering why.

"Sh-Shadow?"

My eyes widened. If he wasn't answering, it was either not him or he was playing a prank. And Shadow didn't seem like the type to play pranks…

I quickly grabbed my shovel and stood up, whirling round to come face to face with another zombie. I guess we must've missed it. I raised my shovel, but as I was about to strike, a gunshot sounded and it fell to the floor. Shadow stood at the end of the aisle, gun pointed. I lowered my weapon, as did Shadow, and placed it on the ground. He walked to me with packets of crisps and chocolate bars in his hands.

"I could've handled that, y'know." I pouted as he placed his findings next to the biscuits. He smirked.

"I know. But I didn't want blood all over the blankets. A nice clean shot through the head is less bloody."

Shadow picked up the corpse and went to place it somewhere else. He was right. There was no blood. I sat down on the blanket and opened some crisps. I was starving. Shadow came back moments later and sat next to me.

"The building is secure. Nothing can get in." He said, eating some biscuits.

"Well, that's good news. I'm sick of fighting those things." I replied, sticking a crisp in my mouth.

Shadow nodded. "I need to make this ammo last. Where do you propose we head next?"

I thought for a while. I had no idea where we should go or what we should do. The world was our oyster.

"I dunno. What about you? What was the next step of your plan?" I asked.

"I didn't have one."

Then, an idea sprung to mind.

"Shadow, do you have any chaos emeralds?"

"No. If I did do you think we would be in here?"

"Oh." I felt utterly stupid. "I was going to suggest we chaos control outta here and to another country. Start new lives. Away from these memories…" I drifted off, thinking about Sonic. I figured a new life in a new country was the only way to forget about all this. Years of chasing after my blue hero and now he's gone. It's gonna be so different.

Shadow pulled me from my thoughts and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Normally I don't care, and if you tell anyone I'll kill you, but did you suggest that to, y'know, forget about faker?"

I sighed. "Yeah. I guess I did. And besides, how much of the country is actually infected?"

I saw a flicker of sadness in Shadow's eyes. "Everyone. Besides a few stray survivors, like us. Rose, most of your friends never made it out."

I was shocked at what he just said. "Wh-what? H-how do you know?" I spluttered.

"Well, you know what happened to Sonic. The zombies have already gotten to Tails because Sonic would never leave him. I went to Knuckles for help, he tried to eat me. And Rouge, well, she tried to fly away but was pulled back down and eaten."

I was suddenly put off my food. "And Cream? Please tell me she's ok." I felt tears stinging my eyes.

Shadow nodded. "She's fine. She and her mother made it out alive with the other survivors. I saw them board a helicopter when G.U.N were organizing the evacuation."

I sighed with relief. I was glad they were safe. Cream is like the younger sister I never had.

"And now it's just us waiting to get outta here." I said and went back to eating.

"That was a good plan though, Rose. Which country would you go to?"

"Me? I'd go to Tokyo. I hear it's brilliant. So many lights and places to visit. You?"

"I have no idea." Shadow replied. "I guess I would go back and live on the ARK."

"Then why don't we go? We could start our new lives up there. Just you and I."

I don't know why I suggested that, but something told me that living with Shadow might not be so bad after all. No-one could bother us unless they could perform chaos control and we'd be safe. If it meant making Shadow happy, then I'd do anything. But why? It wasn't as if we were dating or anything. Ever since he protected me from the zombie earlier I'd found my thoughts often drifting to him. How strong he was. How his gorgeous red eyes would stare into mine…

I snapped out of it to hear Shadow's reply.

"Hmph."

"'Hmph'" I mimicked. "_That's _all you can say?"

"What do you expect me to say? _'Oh yes, let's move to the ARK right now so you can invade my privacy every five seconds and talk about faker none-stop?_'"

I glared at him. "No. I just thought you'd be more…enthusiastic about living up there since you have memories of Maria. You can be closer to her."

I saw Shadow's eyes widen and he turned to me. "You're right, Rose. Maybe that way we can be closer together. We'd need a chaos emerald, though…" He trailed off, thinking. Where _could_ we get an emerald?

"I bet the G.U.N base has one." I piped up.

Shadow slightly smiled at me. "Good idea. We'll go there first thing in the morning. It isn't far."

"But what if…there's more of those…things." I shivered.

Shadow gently put his hand on my face and turned my head to look at him. "I'll be there. I won't let anything hurt you. You are the one who reminded me of Maria's promise and what she wanted. It is the least I could do…" His voice got quieter towards the end of his sentence. His thumb carefully caressed my cheek and I blushed, making him chuckle.

What was he doing? He was usually reluctant to touch anyone, but why is he suddenly comfortable with it? We sat there, gazing into each other's eyes. Shadow never moved or blushed, just continued to rub my cheek. I found myself leaning towards his face, wanting to kiss him. He still never moved. We both closed our eyes and he put his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. As fast as he did it, he moved away and settled down under the blanket, facing away from me.

I touched my lips lightly. The feeling of his lips on mine made them tingle, making me want more. This behaviour was so un-Shadow-like. What was he doing? And more importantly, did we have feelings for each other?

"Goodnight, Rose." His silky-smooth voice sounded.

"G-Goodnight, Shadow." I replied, more confused than ever. I got under the blanket and laid down, facing away from Shadow. He acted so nonchalantly just then, as if nothing happened. What was he playing at? I heard Shadow turn over and shuffle closer to me. He draped his arm over my body, in a protective manner, and pulled me close.

"Go to sleep." He whispered and kissed my head. I blushed and snuggled down into his arms, enjoying the warmth. His fur was so soft and I felt so content. I drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

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><p>I'm not really sure if a gunshot to the head <em>is <em>less bloody than anywhere else, but let's just pretend it is! hehe :D

Review please!


	7. Continuing the journey

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all your reviews and support so far. It means alot to me. :)

Anyway, Megan, you have yet to reply to my review, so if you still want your OC to be featured in the story you'll have to reply to the AN. Here it is again:

_Hey Megan! Seeing as you don't have an account, I'll have to reply to your review this way._

_Thanks for your idea, its great and I'll see if I can fit it in somewhere for you. As for your OC, yeah I will make a special chapter with him/her in. As well as the basic information, I'll also need any additional information, if your OC has a crush and who it is for example. Just leave the details in a review to this chapter._

**NARUTO FANS PLEASE READ! (or anyone who could help me)**

I have a question:

Ok, so there's the third Hokage - Sarutobi

Then there's the fourth Hokage - Naruto's father (Minato?)

And the fifth Hokage - Lady Tsunade

The first series of Naruto started with the third Hokage, then when he died the fifth Hokage took over

What happened to the fourth? It went straight from the third Hokage to the fifth. I know he died, but have I missed something? Was he the Hokage at the very beginning (ep.1?) Could someone enlighten me, please?

I know it's hard to understand, but if you need anymore info, feel free to message me or leave a review, because I'm not sure I've worded this properly.

Anyway, here's chapter 7!

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><p>"<em>SHADOW!" I yelled as he fell to the floor. I ran over, not caring that we were surrounded by zombies. He was bleeding profusely and was barely conscious. <em>

"_A-Amy." He whispered. He reached out and grasped my hand. I started to cry as he slowly closed his eyes. _

"_NO! SHADOW! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" I screamed and I suddenly felt a burst of anger. _

_I stood up and spun around to face the creatures that were slowly making their way towards me. I was crying hysterically as I swung the sword that Shadow had previously wielded. It successfully came in contact with the beings and one by one they fell to the floor. _

_Revenge was mine. _

_I looked back to where Shadow's body was, only to find it wasn't there. My eyes widened as I was pushed to the floor…by an undead Shadow! I tried to shield my face with my arms, but to no avail as he bit down on one, making me scream. _

_"Shadow! It's me! Please stop!" I yelped as he continued to gnaw at my arms. All of a sudden, everything went black…_

"NO!" I screamed and bolted upright. Beads of sweat ran down my forehead as I struggled to get my breathing back to normal. It was just a nightmare. I looked to my left, expecting to see Shadow, but he wasn't there. A flicker of disappointment appeared within me, but quickly vanished as I remembered last night. I blushed at the memory. His kiss. His eyes. Everything about him made my heart flutter. And it was then I knew I had moved on from loving Sonic, and my heart belonged to Shadow the Hedgehog himself.

"Shadow?" I called out, hoping to receive an answer, but all I got was silence. I gulped, thinking the worst had happened. I looked to the shutters at the front, they were still closed. I stood up, yawning and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Shadow?" I called out again.

"What?" Came the harsh reply. I turned around to see Shadow walking towards me.

"There you are! I was beginning to think you left me. Where were you?" I asked, smiling at him.

His eyes narrowed. "None of your business."

I was taken aback by his harsh tone. Why was he being like this? Did he not remember last night? Should I ask him about it or risk being shot? I decided against it and kept quiet.

"We shall head to the G.U.N HQ, it's not far from here. Let's go out the back." Shadow picked up my weapon, handed it to me and began to walk to the back room. I followed him.

We went through the room at the back and out of the door that lead outside. Shadow checked around before grabbing my arm and heading to the car park. I winced at his strong grip.

"Sh-Shadow, could you let go? You're hurting me." I whispered as we peaked out from around the corner of the building. Shadow turned around to glare at me.

"No. You'll only fall behind." Was the reply I received, though I felt his grip soften. After a few minutes of silence, we ran out from behind the wall and to a nearby motorcycle. It was silver and decorated with black swirls.

"Get on!" Shadow commanded as he sat on the front. I threw my weapon to the ground and climbed on behind him. I looked around, unsure where to put my hands. Shadow started the engine.

"Hold on, Rose!" He yelled.

"To what?"

"To me, you idiot."

I blushed and wrapped my arms around his waist. Shadow revved the engine and sped off out of the car park, knocking over stray zombies as he did so. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks as I gripped Shadow's waist tighter, in fear of falling off. I laid my face against his back and closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. I felt Shadow tense before relaxing in my hold. I guess he wasn't used to the touch. I had no idea what he was making of all this, but I hoped he wouldn't push me off.

The strange thing was, he hadn't even mentioned last night, or at least gave me an explanation as to why he acted the way he did. I wanted nothing more than to ask why, but I decided to wait for the right moment…when he wasn't riding a motorcycle and could easily push me to my death. The worst part was that Shadow didn't know I harboured feelings for him…was he deliberately toying with my heart? I sighed, enjoying the breeze through my quills.

We would soon be arriving at the base, so I had to be prepared for anything. It was only then I remembered that I left my weapon in the car park. I had nothing to defend myself with, except Shadow. Would he be mad? I figured I'd just grab another weapon before we went inside the base. There's probably lots of stuff I could use, right?

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><p>Instead of using the car park, Shadow parked the bike near to the G.U.N base, so as not to disturb the zombies that were probably lurking around there. We both got off and Shadow readied his weapons.<p>

"Erm, Shadow?

Shadow looked at me questioningly.

"I-I don't have a weapon." I mumbled. Shadow's eyes narrowed.

"And just _why_ don't you have a weapon?"

"I had to drop it if you wanted me to hold onto you!"

"Hmph. Never mind. We'll find you something else. For now, you'll have to take this." Shadow handed me one of his pistols.

"B-But you said-"

"I know what I said. But there is nothing of use lying around here. I'm hoping we'll find some more weapons in the G.U.N base. Just be careful and don't pull the trigger unless you need to. Hold it gently and aim carefully. That way, you should hit your target." Shadow explained as he loaded the gun.

"Er, thanks." I replied,

Shadow nodded and began to walk down the road. I could see the base in the distance. It looked deserted, but I recently learned that looks can be deceiving. We walked quietly down the road, looking from left to right in case something decided to jump out at us.

My palms were sweating and my hands were shaking, making me have doubts about actually being able to fire the gun and successfully hit my target. But I'd done it before in the superstore, so why couldn't I do it now?

I looked at the trees to my right, seeing something move. I gulped and raised my gun, ready to fire. I risked a glance in Shadow's direction and saw he was ahead of me. The leaves suddenly rustled and I looked back to the noise. My heart leapt out of my chest as a zombie crawled out of the shadows, its hand reaching out for me. Fortunately for me, it had no legs, just like the one in the superstore. Nonetheless, my feet were glued to the ground. Just as I was about to fire, I felt an arm wrap around my waist and pull me to the side.

"Leave it, Rose."

I let out a shaky breath as Shadow pulled me away from the zombie and back in the direction we were going.

"W-Why didn't you let me shoot it?"

"Because it had no legs. It didn't need shooting."

I blushed as Shadow kept his arm around my waist.

"Erm…Sh-Shadow…"

"Hm?"

"Y-Your a-arm…it's…"

I saw a slight blush creep its way onto his face and he abruptly retracted his arm.

"We better get a move on. I want to get out of this place before either of us gets hurt." Shadow replied, trying to keep his cool. We walked the rest of the way in silence.

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><p>Ooh...<p>

Will Shadow and Amy make it to the GUN base?

Will Amy decide to ask Shadow about the kiss?

What will become of our hero's?

Find out in the next chapter! Review please! :)

**Oh, and any Naruto fans out there, please read the AN at the top of the page.**

THANK YOU! :D


	8. Trapped

Hello again! So sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter.

Just a few things before we get to the awesomeness...

Firstly, the reviewer named 'god of chaotic destruction' I am a girl (hence the name chocoholic princess lol, but I guess guys could be called princess as well) and I love your name. I reminds me of Pein from the Naruto Shippuden series, even though I haven't got as far as the episodes with him in yet.

Secondly, thanks to everyone who answered my question from the previous chapter. I know it was difficult to understand, but thanks for trying. I think this is a better way of wording it though:

How can the fourth Hokage die before the third? Shouldn't the third die then the fourth take over or something?

Lastly, thanks Megan for your OC information, however, you've missed off an important detail that I cannot write the section without...

What is your OC's race? Is she hedgehog, human, fox etc? Please tell me or I cannot write your request!

Ok, I'm finished! Enjoy!

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><p>After about five more minutes of walking, Shadow and I arrived at the base. Huge metal gates were towering above us. Shadow walked over to the gate and punched in some buttons on the small control panel. The gates opened and a creaking noise could be heard before they suddenly stopped working. Lucky for us, the gap was big enough for Shadow and I to fit through. We went through the gap, checking for any movement. Shadow closed the gates behind us and walked over to me.<p>

"You ok?" He asked. I gulped and nodded, gripping the gun tightly in my right hand. I felt Shadow grasp my left hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's alright, Rose. I'm here." He said and then let go, walking to the main entrance. He opened the doors and motioned me to follow him inside, which I did. Shutting the doors behind me, I looked around. The lights were flashing and papers and metal desks littered the corridor.

"So where will the chaos emerald be?" I whispered.

"In the Commander's office. Follow me." Shadow replied and quietly went forward. Following him, I began to take in my surroundings, looking for any signs of movement, weapons or chaos emeralds. We rounded a corner and stopped outside an elevator, where Shadow pushed the button.

"Where is the commander's office?" I questioned.

"It's on the top floor." Was the reply I received. I rolled my eyes and sighed, unhappy with the fact that the Commander's office just _had_ to be on the top floor. Shadow chuckled at my reaction. The elevator arrived and the doors slowly opened. Shadow and I stepped inside and he pressed the top floor button. The doors closed and the elevator moved slowly upwards. I looked at the LCD screen next to the buttons. Only four more floors left. Suddenly, I felt the elevator jerk before coming to a complete stop. I stumbled forwards, landing in Shadow's arms. He stood me upright before looking at the screen.

"Oh no! We're stuck!" I panicked, suddenly feeling nauseous.

Shadow sighed. "Yes. We are. And between floors, too."

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" Shadow thought for a while before answering me. "I suppose I could pry the doors open and we could climb out." He looked to me for confirmation.

"Sure. It's worth a try." I replied. Shadow went to the door and tried to pry open the doors. I was amazed at his strength as the doors opened slightly. He was so strong! With one last pull, the doors opened completely, showing half a wall. There was a small amount of light coming from above it, where we had to climb to.

"Do you want me to give you a hand up?" Shadow asked me.

I was about to say yes, but my mind stopped me when I suddenly thought of something.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not going first! There could be zombies up there!" I replied, noticing my slightly harsh tone. Shadow opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off.

"And anyway, I'm wearing a dress."

Shadow blushed and I smirked. He cleared his throat before replying.

"Very well. You make a valid point. I'll go first."

Shadow threw his guns through the gap and they clattered to the floor. Standing next to the ledge, he jumped up and grabbed the edge. Using his feet to push himself upwards, Shadow crawled through the small gap. He paused, checking for any danger while I anxiously waited for him.

"Alright. We're good to go." He said and held his hands out to me. I mimicked his previous movements and threw my gun to him. I then jumped up, grabbing the ledge. Shadow grabbed my wrists and pulled me up. I crawled through the gap and stood up, dusting myself off.

"Okay. Now where?" I asked.

"Well, we're not quite on the top floor, so we'll have to take the stairs." Shadow replied, picking up our guns and handing mine to me. He walked down the corridor with me following. Turning the corner, Shadow came to a halt, making me nearly crash into his back.

"Whoa! A little warning next time!" I said, but Shadow just hushed me.

"What is it?" I whispered to him.

"Zombies. In the room opposite the stairs."

"Well, why can't we just crouch and sneak by?"

"The door's open. They'll see us."

I gulped. Just when things were seemingly alright, something had to go wrong.

"So what do you propose we do?"

"We'll have to use the stairs at the far end of this floor. It will take longer, but we have no choice."

"Alright then."

Shadow carefully walked backwards, gently pushing me back with him. We walked back towards the elevator and down another corridor.

"This place is so confusing." I said.

Shadow chuckled. "Yes, it is. I remember my first day. I got lost more times than I can remember."

Shadow and I laughed together. It was nice hearing his laugh. I felt special because I was the only one who had.

"Y'know, you should laugh more often. You have a nice laugh." I said to him. He smiled at me.

"Thank you, Rose. So do you."

I blushed at his comment. Maybe now would be a good time to bring up the kiss that happened before.

"This way, Rose." Shadow grabbed my hand before I could walk further down the corridor. Maybe I should just leave it until we're relatively safe. We walked round the corner and Shadow released my hand.

"We'll take a shortcut through the main offices." He said and led me to some double doors. I suddenly heard footsteps from behind. I spun around and gasped. There was a zombie limping towards us! I quickly shoved Shadow into the room, not giving my actions a second thought. I slammed the door behind us and looked at my companion. Shadow glared at me.

"What the hell was that for!"

"There was a zombie outside! The least you could do is thank me for saving your life!"

Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by various growls. My eyes widened and so did Shadow's. We slowly turned around to see hundreds of flesh-eaters in the huge office space, all looking directly at us.

I saw Shadow look from me to the zombies and then to the door. He quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me to the door as the corpses came after us. Shadow wrenched the door open, only to come face to face with the zombie we had just escaped. He rammed his shoulder into it and pulled me down the corridor. I gripped my gun to prevent it from slipping and tried my best to keep up with the ultimate lifeform. We ran round various corners and down corridors, all the time the thud of footsteps behind us keeping us moving. I was beginning to get short of breath and I felt horribly dizzy.

"Sh-Shadow!" I whimpered.

Shadow glanced back at me before looking in the direction we were headed.

"Hold on, Rose. We're nearly there." He replied and gripped my hand even tighter. Nearly where? Where was he taking us? I sure hoped he knew what he was doing.

"Look! In there!"

Shadow pointed to an open door at the end of the corridor. We ran full speed ahead, desperate to get away. Suddenly, I tripped and my hand was wrenched from Shadow's. I tumbled to the floor, yelping. My gun flew out of my hands, and before I had a chance to get up and retrieve it, my companion snatched me upwards with a growl and dragged me to the room. It was considerably difficult to keep up with him and I kept stumbling, but I didn't care – all I wanted to do was reach the room in one piece. Once we had reached it, Shadow shoved me inside before coming in behind me and shutting the door, locking it just in time. Zombies were banging on the door and Shadow created a barricade with desks. We were both panting hard, trying to catch our breath.

"That should hold them for a while. We need to find a way out of here." He said.

"B-but, my gun! I-I lost it!"

Shadow glared at me. "Do you really want to go back out there and risk your life just for a gun?" He pointed to the door, where the undead were still scrambling to get in.

"No…" I sighed.

The ultimate lifeform nodded. "Good."

I frowned, feeling helpless. I just stood there, on the verge of breaking down. I sank to my knees, knowing this was the end.

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><p>Soooo, what did you think? Leave a review with your thoughts...<p>

Thank you so much for all the support!


	9. Confessions

Good news...Chapter nine is here!

More good news...This chapter is longer! ...I think ^^'

Just a few review replies to those who don't have accounts...

**mystery man 101**- Thanks so much for your reviews. That's a really good idea, I'll see what I can do. It'll definately add a nice twist to the story. Cool name, by the way. :D

**shadowgirl** - Sorry. But hey, the next chapter is here! :D Hope you like it

**in the summertime** - So sorry. Here's the next chapter. I'm glad you like the story

**Megan** - I know I keep asking you for information (sorry) but what colour is your OC? I think you'll be please to know I've made a start on the special chapter with your OC. I hope you'll like it.

**Twilight the Wolf** - You're very welcome! Thanks! :D You're awesome, too! *Returns hug*

**Deanna37** - Yeah, you tell him! :D Thanks!

And lastly, an extra special thanks to **LordCooler** and **SweetMissVee** for the support and advice you've both given me. :D

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><p>One by one the tears fell and it was becoming hard to breathe.<p>

"Rose? Are you alright?" Shadow asked, kneeling beside me.

I started to hyperventilate and Shadow pulled me into a hug, attempting to comfort me.

"Shh, Rose. It's alright."

We sat properly on the floor, our backs against the wall facing the door and enjoyed each other's warmth.

"Shadow? What if we never get out of here?"

"We will. I don't know how. But we will."

"Well, just in case we don't. I want to know one thing before I die."

"Yes?"

"Back in the superstore, why did you kiss me?"

I had to bring it up. Now seemed like the perfect moment to do so and just in case we weren't going to make it out alive, I had to know Shadow's feelings towards me. If he had any. He sighed and held me tighter.

"In all honesty, I don't know. But, in case we don't make it out, I should be honest."

He paused before continuing.

"There's just something about you. You're just so…so…so beautiful and caring. Seeing you smile makes me happy…and the way your eyes twinkle, it's so hard to resist being close to you. I guess I've felt this way for a while now, and in the superstore, my feelings just took control and I kissed you. When it happened, I knew I shouldn't have, what with your obsession with faker, so I ignored you until I figured out these damn confusing feelings."

I took a moment to digest what Shadow had said. I never knew he had such a romantic side to him.

"And have you?"

He sighed. "I don't know. I have no idea what I feel towards you. You remind me so much of Maria, the resemblance is unbelievable."

Shadow sounded so confused. To me, it sounded a lot like admiration, or even a crush.

My train of thought broke when Shadow growled, making me jump.

"Ugh! Just what the hell are these feelings! They're giving me a headache!"

I giggled lightly, making Shadow glare at me.

"Shadow, to me, it sounds like you have some sort of affection for me."

His eyes softened. "Affection?"

"Yes. You've grown to like me because of my resemblance to Maria. Tell me, Shadow. Are you crushing on me?" I smirked slightly.

His eyes slightly narrowed and he sighed once again. "It may seem so. But I want to find out more first, before things get serious."

"Huh? Serious?"

"A relationship? Isn't that what happens when you 'crush' on someone?"

I blushed a little at this. Shadow wanted to start a relationship with me? Oh my god…this is way too much!

"Er…yeah. But let's take things slow. I mean, we're in the middle of a life-threatening situation, we should focus on that."

Shadow nodded. "Yes. We shall sort this out once we get to the ARK.

_'You mean_ if _we get to the ARK.'_ I thought.

I was glad things had been cleared up, and that I knew Shadow wasn't deliberately toying with me. In all honesty, it was funny that he, of all people, was feeling like this. I'd always thought he'd be the cold, stoic hedgehog he normally is. I guess this means I'd have to teach him how to be in a relationship as he's never so much as had a girlfriend before. I sighed, knowing the work what will be cut out for me.

"Anyway, shut up about this. These 'feelings' are giving me a headache." He smirked down at me. I grinned back and, feeling brave, reached up to peck his lips with mine. He gave me a small smile in return and pulled me into an embrace, holding me protectively.

"I promise we'll get out of here." He murmured. "And I'm sorry if I acted cold towards you. It was the only way I could even come close to ignoring these feelings."

"It's alright. I understand."

Our moment was interrupted as the glass on the door smashed.

"Oh no! Shadow, we need to find a way out now!" I said and stood up, eyeing the arms protruding through the long rectangular window on the door. Shadow and I looked around the room, looking for anything we could use.

"What about up there?" I asked, pointing to a ventilation duct at the top of the wall. Shadow pulled a desk underneath and climbed up to it. He opened the hatch and examined inside.

"I guess we have no choice." Shadow jumped down. "You first." He said. I nodded, completely forgetting about Shadow being a guy and me wearing a dress, and climbed up onto the table. Shadow helped me up and I crawled into the small space. Shadow crawled in behind me and shut the hatch.

"I can barely see!" I said. I silently thanked chaos that it was dark, at least it meant Shadow couldn't see…

"Shh. Just keep going forward and try to be quiet." Shadow replied. I did what he said and crawled forwards, Shadow behind me. I turned a corner and saw strips of light coming from another hatch in front of us. I crawled to it and looked through with Shadow. Yet again, there were more zombies feasting on another body.

"Geez, how many times must see this?" I whispered to my companion.

Shadow shot me an annoyed look.

"Well, don't look then!"

I rolled my eyes and proceeded forward, coming to the end of the ducts. I looked down, seeing more strips of light reflecting on the metal. That was a good sign; it meant that there was a closed hatch, so nothing could attack us when we dropped down.

"Well, hurry up! We haven't got all day!" Shadow hissed.

I ignored him and tried to turn my body around best I could.

"Ow!"

"What?" I snapped at Shadow.

"You kicked me!"

"Well, sorry! It's hard to turn around in such a small space!" I whispered, making Shadow roll his eyes.

Once I turned my body around, I sat on the edge and jumped down. Checking the room for zombies, I opened the hatch and climbed out, hearing Shadow dropping down after me. He walked past me to the door and gently opened it slightly.

"There's a zombie down the end there." He whispered.

"Well, how do we get rid of it?" I replied.

He didn't answer. He must be thinking of a plan. I rolled my eyes and scanned the room.

It was just an ordinary office – a small mahogany desk, a chair, a couple of cabinets and cupboards and a bookshelf. I walked to the desk and sat on the leather office chair behind it, looking at the framed pictures on the desk. One was of a human man and a woman, holding each other and grinning widely at the camera. I figured they must be married. The next one was of the same woman and a small girl, probably no older than five. I smiled. They looked so beautiful. Whomever this desk belonged to was lucky to have such a beautiful family. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, knowing that these people were probably undead by now.

I looked up to see Shadow still frozen in place, thinking. I suddenly heard a creak and frowned. Suddenly, I felt the chair collapse and I screamed, falling to the floor.

"Ow! That hurt!"

I was startled again when Shadow suddenly slammed the office door shut and locked it. He turned to me and glared. I stood up, returning it.

"What in _hell _did you do that for?" He snarled.

"It wasn't _my _fault the chair collapsed!"

"Well, now we're trapped in here too, idiot!"

"Well, sorry! It's not like I was expecting it to happen!"

Shadow opened his mouth to retaliate, but was distracted by the zombie pounding on the door, almost _begging_ to be let in to devour us.

"Well, I hope you have a plan, genius!" I spat, a sudden wave of anger overcoming me. It's not like the whole chair accident was my fault! Well, maybe it kinda was…

"I did, but someone had to go ruin it." Was my reply, making me roll my eyes.

"Hey, Shadow? Do you the people in this picture?" I asked, handing him the one with the man and his wife in it. He examined it for a couple of seconds and sighed, handing it back to me.

"No." He replied and walked around the desk. I placed the picture back in its place and peered over at what Shadow was doing. He opened the top drawer of the desk and started to shuffle the papers about, as if looking for something.

"Shadow! You can't just go through someone's things, it's rude!" I scolded. My comment was ignored as he slammed the drawer shut and opened the bigger, deeper one below it. I heard more shuffling before Shadow pulled out a gun and holster and stood upright. A revolver, I think it was. My companion smirked at me.

"Well? You want me to put it back? You did say it was rude to go through someone's things."

"Touché, Shadow."

His smirk never left his face as he nudged the drawer shut with his knee and checked how many bullets were in the gun.

"It's full, but there's no spare ammo. It's better than nothing I guess." He said, placing the revolver in its holster and attaching it to himself.

"So, back to the problem at hand." I said, nodding my head towards the zombie who was still trying to get in the room.

"I have a plan, but you won't like it."

I groaned. Oh god. I dreaded to think what Shadow had thought up.

"Why not?" I questioned, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

"You'll see. Now, you are going to open the door and-"

"What! Are you insane! That thing out there will get us! I don't want to die yet!"

Shadow glared at me for interrupting his sentence. "Rose, if you will let me finish, I will explain it."

I remained silent, letting him know to continue.

"As I was saying, you will open the door and yes, I know it will be able to get in. That's the whole point of the plan. As soon as you open it, slam it against the zombie's head before it can get in here any further. That should effectively shatter the skull."

"Why should I do it?" I wondered.

"I will take position opposite the door, at the far end of the room. If anything goes wrong, I will shoot the zombie, but I don't want to have to do that. It will attract more of them."

"Oh great." I groaned. I guessed this would mean I would be spattered with blood. '_Just what I wanted!' _I thought, grimacing.

Shadow smirked. "I know you don't like it, but we don't have a choice. Now, be a brave girl and just do it."

I glared at him. "Well, you don't have to patronize me, you jerk!"

He roughly shoved me towards the door, making me stumble. I turned back and stuck my tongue out at him, not missing the rolling of his eyes at my obviously childish gesture.

I stood at the door, hands positioned on the handle. They felt clammy and I could feel them shaking. If I messed this up it would be a disaster, and I didn't want Shadow getting angry at me any time soon. I turned around and saw him aiming the rifle.

"Ok, Rose. On three, you open the door and smash it into the head, alright?"

I gulped. No, it wasn't alright. I wanted to be back home, cuddled up in bed. I wanted Sonic to still be alive, for his arms to be around me, telling me everything will be alright when I get upset. There were so many things that I wanted, so many things that had changed…

"Rose! Listen to me!"

I snapped out of my reverie, focusing my attention on my partner.

"Calm down." Shadow instructed, as if sensing my discomfort. "You have to time this right, no daydreaming or it will go wrong and you'll end up dead. Got it?"

That was harsh. But, he was right – I had to focus.

"Alright. I'm ready." I nodded and turned back to the door, meeting the snarling face of the zombie. What scared me more, is the fact there was only a door separating us. I shuddered.

"Ok. On three. One, two, three!" Shadow yelled.

As soon as he got to three, I twisted the lock and wrenched the door open. The zombie started to lunge for me, but I slammed the door shut on its head before it could get into the room.

Perfectly positioned between the door and its frame, the head of the infected crunched with the force of the blow, and I was splattered with blood. At that moment, I was sure I would end up puking my guts out, but I stayed strong, knowing one wrong movement would put us in danger.

Once again, I pulled the door back and executed the move. This time, the remains of the head were held onto the shoulders by thin strings of bloody pulp and flesh. The zombie fell to the floor with a thud.

I did it. And most importantly, I was still alive. I looked down at the unmoving body, prodding it with the end of my boot. I shrieked as it started to convulse violently, flailing its arms around. In the spur of the moment, I stomped on the body's neck, and the movement stopped. What the hell just happened? I backed away from the body and towards Shadow, who was stood in the middle of the room.

"Are you alright?" He asked me.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. Just peachy." I still felt sick to my stomach at what just happened. How absolutely disgusting.

"Good. You did well there, Rose. I thought you would mess it up and I would have to save your ass. Again." He replied, smirking.

I glared at him. "Tch, don't start with me, Shadow! I could easily kick your ass!"

Shadow returned the glare, albeit deadlier. He stalked towards me, eyes full of murderous intent. I crept backwards, feeling my back hit the wall where Shadow once stood.

Oh god. He was going to kill me. How unbelievable! And after what happened back in the other room, too! My companion put his hands on either side of my head and I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the terrifying glare he was probably giving me.

To my confusion, I felt soft lips on my forehead. I opened my eyes, to see the ultimate lifeform gazing softly down at me. I released a breath I didn't realise I was holding as Shadow gave me a smirk.

"You've gotten stronger, Rose, to challenge me like that. When we get out of this mess, remind me to hold you to that." He said and then pulled back, allowing me to move away from the wall. At least he didn't hurt me, right? But I know I'll be in for a hell of a fight if we spar together in the future. The silence was broken and I was pulled out of my thoughts by screaming. It sounded like a girl.

And she was obviously in trouble.

The screaming suddenly stopped, and a loud thud followed.

Just what the hell was that?

I didn't know, but I was sure as hell going to find out!

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><p>Ooh...Yet another cliffhanger.<p>

Sorry if anyone thought the romance was cheesy. But notice how I Shadow said he didn't know what he felt for Amy, instead of a full out love confession. I thought that kinda kept him IC a bit.

Reviews are welcome. :D


	10. Meeting Aqua

Chater Ten! :D

I have over 10,000 views! How cool?

I have to admit, I kinda struggled with this chapter, but nonetheless, I had so much fun writing it!

Enjoy!

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><p>"Shadow, did you hear that?" I asked my companion.<p>

I didn't wait for an answer as I heard another loud thud and raced out of the room, desperate to reach the girl and help her.

"Rose! Come back!" I heard Shadow growl behind me. I ignored him and raced through the corridors, dodging bodies and jumping over various objects that were strewn across them.

I ran around a corner and saw a zombie in the middle of the corridor, its face covered in congealing blood. I quickly glanced behind me and noticed that Shadow wasn't there. I gulped and realised I was on my own until I got to the girl. I continued to run, picking up a letter knife that was on the floor next to a scattered pile of papers.

With a battle cry, I plunged the knife into the zombies' face, using my other hand to punch the side of its head, successfully succeeding in the being falling to the floor. Not wanting to see if it got back up, I continued round the corner, where I saw a small group of three zombies crowding round a doorway.

I figured that's where the girl must be, so I pumped my legs even faster in the hopes of helping her, but stopped short when I realised I had no weapon. I quickly looked around, but found nothing I could use. I snapped my head to the door when I heard growling, to see the undead looking at me. All three of them ran towards me, but my legs couldn't move.

I was paralysed by fear. My mind was racing and my heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to die from a heart attack. Still, I suppose that's better than being ravaged by zombies. Just as they were going in for the kill, I heard the girl shout.

"Chaos Spear!"

My mouth dropped as a golden yellow spear punctured each head with deadly aim and precision. I stumbled backwards, finally able to move, as the zombies crashed to the floor. I turned my gaze in front of me and saw a cat of an aqua blue colour, breathing heavily and covered splats of blood. I gingerly stepped over the bodies and made my way over to her.

"Thanks for that. Are you ok?" I asked her, still a little shaken up, but so glad I'd got to her alive.

"Yeah. What were you thinking, you idiot? Why didn't you move? You're lucky to still be here!" She glared at me, but I wasn't fazed, seeing as Shadow did it all the time.

"I don't know. I couldn't move, but I'm so grateful. I'm Amy. What's your name?" I asked.

The cat raised an eyebrow at me. "Aqua. What are you doing here, Amy?"

'_Aqua, huh? Certainly fitting for her appearance'._

"My partner and I are looking for a chaos emerald. Have you seen one around here?" I replied.

Aqua tensed a little before frowning. "No. This isn't a place for little girls to be. Who's your partner?" Aqua asked.

I opened my mouth to answer her, but was cut off by a yell.

"Amy! Why the hell did you run off, you stupid girl!" I turned around to see Shadow running towards us.

"Shadow! I'm so glad to see you!"

My partner pulled me into a hug, his arms tight around my body. I returned the hug just as tight, happy to be in his arms. I suddenly heard Aqua cough and I released Shadow.

"Aqua, this is Shadow, my partner." I introduced, smiling. To my confusion, Aqua glared at me.

"He seems like more than your partner, girl."

I felt a blush creep up to my cheeks at her comment. "Erm, yeah I guess you could say that."

"Aqua. You work here, right. What happened to everyone? Do you know where the commander is and if he took his Chaos Emerald?" Shadow's silky voice pitched in, saving me from embarrassment.

Aqua's demeanour immediately changed and she became less…hostile. Did she have something with Shadow? Were they friends or something?

"The commander ordered every single GUN squadron to help evacuate civilians and eliminate those creatures. There's no-one else here. And as for the chaos emerald, yes, he took it. I have no idea where he is now. He went with the soldiers to the city." Aqua explained.

"Damn." Shadow muttered. So we went through all that trouble, killing zombies, getting covered in blood and nearly getting killed ourselves, for nothing? I felt disheartened. Now where would we find a chaos emerald? Wait…

Aqua performed Chaos Spear earlier.

I knew that chaos moves require an emerald, so Aqua must have one!

'_I guess the journey wasn't wasted after all. Aqua could even come with us to the ARK!'_

"Aqua, you have a chaos emerald!" I yelled with glee. She looked at me weirdly.

"Yeah, so what? You're not getting it, if that's what you're gonna ask, kid."

"No! You don't understand! Shadow and I were planning on going to the ARK to escape from this mess, but we don't have a chaos emerald to perform chaos control. You could lend us yours and come with us!" I explained.

"Good plan, Rose. Well, Aqua? Would you like to join us?"

Aqua was quiet for a moment. "Hmmm, I'll think about it. I've got to admit, that plan doesn't sound half bad." She replied. Shadow nodded in response. "Very well. You've got until I get back."

"Where are you going, Shadow?"

"There is a small armoury just around the corner, I'm going to check for weapons while Aqua decides. Wait here, Rose." He replied, giving my forehead a small kiss before disappearing around the corner.

"So, you and Shadow? What's going on between you?" Aqua asked me, narrowing her eyes. What was her problem?

"Why do you want to know? Why are you acting like that towards me?" I replied, feeling annoyed. "Are you jealous or something?"

To my surprise, the cat laughed bitterly. "I'm just curious, is all. No need to get your panties in a twist. Although, the way you avoided my question, it's obvious you and him are together. Am I right?"

"Not exactly. We…like each other, but we're not pursuing a relationship until we get out of this mess."

Aqua's eyes shone with an emotion I couldn't recognise. What was she planning?

"I see. Y'know, Amy, Shadow doesn't need a little girl. He needs a woman. Like me." She smirked. "I don't know why you thought you were good enough for him."

I scoffed. "Yeah, and I don't know why I thought you were awesome. You're clearly a conniving bitch! And to think I was going to repay you for saving my life."

Aqua gave a bitter laugh "And what makes you think that I want anything from _you?_" She sneered.

That. Was. It!

"Look, I'm through being nice! All I'm asking is that you lend us your chaos emerald, it's no big deal! And what's with you and Shadow? Do you like him or something? Because it's clear to me that you're jealous!"

I was breathing hard after my outburst. What was her problem?

"Jealous? Of you?" Aqua laughed once again. "Get your facts straight, honey, there's nothing to be jealous of! In fact," The girl in front of me stepped closer and I glared. "I think you should get your facts straight, Shadow is mine, so back off!"

Aqua shoved me and I stumbled backwards. She saw I was off guard, and raised her fist. Moments later, I felt a searing pain in my cheek and my head collided with the wall. My vision briefly faltered as I looked towards the cat.

She had punched me.

The bitch!

Just as I was about to hit her, Shadow rounded the corner. He stopped frozen, staring at my swollen cheek and bearing his fangs.

"Get away from her. Now." He growled, slowly advancing towards us. He looked absolutely terrifying. I let out a small whimper, my cheek throbbing with pain.

Aqua didn't look phased. She stood her ground, as if she thought she didn't do anything wrong.

"Or what, Shadow? All I said was that you needed a real woman, it's for her benefit, if she thinks she has any chance with you."

This girl! She's just digging herself a deeper hole than she's already in. If I were her, I would have kept quiet.

My companion didn't say anything, just kept stalking towards us, never taking his eyes off Aqua.

"Or what you ask? Well, Aqua, let's hope you don't have to find out." He whispered maliciously.

"Ha! I could wipe the floor with you; break every bone in your body in _seconds_'. Aqua replied, glaring at him.

As quick as a flash, the aqua blue cat grabbed a knife from the belt she was wearing and thrust it at Shadow, aiming specifically for his head. Unfortunately for the cat, Shadow was just as quick, and his left hand snatched her wrist before the sharp, glinting, blade could make devastating contact with his cranium.

Shadow gave Aqua a menacing glare. His eyes portrayed pure hate towards the girl beside me. I could practically _feel _it. Using his right arm, the ultimate lifeform pinned her to the wall, the appendage resting at the cat's throat.

"Think again, Aqua. You're fast, but I'm faster."

Shadow squeezed Aqua's wrist. I looked to her face, but she showed no signs of pain, still firmly returning the glare he was giving her. He squeezed harder, making the blue cat drop the knife. It clattered to the floor, and for a minute I expected to hear the undead groaning from around the corner. Alas, it was quiet.

Shadow gave a small chuckle, before squeezing her wrist even harder. After a few seconds of intense pressure, I heard a sickening crack.

He had broken her wrist.

Aqua gave a small pained hiss.

"If you _ever_ lay a hand on my Rose again, I will break more than your wrist. And you will be in so much pain, you will be _begging _for mercy."

I felt a murderous aura surrounding Shadow. There was so much hatred, I felt overwhelmed.

And as much as I tried to think otherwise.

I was terrified.

"Shadow," I whispered, almost too afraid of saying anything. "There w-was no need to go that far."

He snapped his head towards me. "Nonsense, Rose. She hurt you. She hurt what is mine. I am merely teaching her a lesson."

Aqua suddenly growled, ripping her now broken wrist from Shadow's grasp.

"You'll get what's coming to you."She snarled.

Giving him one last death glare, Aqua sprinted back down the corridor. I wasn't going to let her get away, seeing as she has a Chaos Emerald. This may be the only chance we get.

I prepared to take off after her, when I felt something pull me back. I whipped my head around to see Shadow, looking less angry.

"Rose. Where the hell do you think you are going?" He asked calmly, reaching his other hand out to try and inspect the damage to my cheek.

I pulled myself out of his grasp and jerked away before he could touch me.

"I'm going after her, Shadow! She has a Chaos Emerald! This may be the only chance we get! And you didn't have to go as far as breaking her wrist, y'know? Yes, she may have hit me, but that was too much." Leaving Shadow stunned, I took off after Aqua, hoping I could reach her before something happened. In all honesty, I don't know why I defended her, but we need that emerald. It could mean the difference between life and death for us.

As I rounded the corner, retracing the steps we took, various growling noises sounded behind me.

That signalled one thing.

I was being followed.

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><p>Megan, sorry if that's not what you had in mind. I'm not quite finished yet, but I had to tweek your idea a little. And I'm sorry for having to call you character a 'Bitch', I just thought it fit in with the story.<p>

Leave a review with your thoughts... :D


	11. Amy and Aqua vs The Undead

I am deeply, deeply sorry for the lateness! I've had some troubling events to get through, so your understanding will be much appreciated! :)

**Chapter 8 has been edited, due to a plothole in the story, please re-read that chapter before you read this! (And I'm sure some of you might require a refresher xD)**

**Megan**, I'm sorry about the wait, but I ask you to please have patience between updates. This chapter was quite hard for me to write, and I'm still not entirely pleased with it, but here it is! :) xx

**Mysteryman101**, I know I know, I feel bad for not updating. I only hope you guys can forgive me :) Thanks for the review.

**God of chaotic destruction**, What exactly is a chaos god? And you'll find out what happens to Aqua probably in the next chapter. :)

**IMPORTANT**- I've been getting alot of OC requests for the story. I am not yet taking requests for OC's, so please don't ask. HOWEVER, there may be a small part in the future where OC's will be required. A note will be put up if this is the case. Alas, I'm afraid I cannot promise anything just yet.

Thanks so much for all the great reviews...they make my day! :D

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><p>My eyes widened at the noises behind me.<p>

I pushed myself to go faster, to keep up with Aqua and to get away from the undead which were following me. I silently hoped that, if there were any, Aqua would take out any zombies in front. I had no means of defence, unless by miracle I found something I could use as a makeshift weapon, seeing as I had lost my gun earlier.

I rounded a corner and saw Aqua run through the door to the stairs. A zombie staggered backwards, a clear sign she had shoved it. I quickly made my way over through the door before the being could regain its sense of balance.

"Aqua! Wait!" I yelled after her as she ran down each flight of stairs. I ran after her, missing a couple of steps each time.

Aqua ran through another door, on what I think was the third floor of the building.

I wondered where she was going. If she was going out, then wouldn't she go through the main entrance? I figured she must be up to something, which made me all the more determined to catch up with her.

By the time I went through the door, I was panting hard. It was a miracle that I hadn't sprained my ankle, or worse, broken it! I looked down the corridor, just seeing her go through a set of double doors. I ran towards them, and burst through.

"Aqua! Please stop!" I panted, hands on my knees.

"What the hell do you want, brat? I already told you, there's no way I'm giving you my emerald!" She snapped.

I noticed we were in the cafeteria. Everything looked tidy and in it's correct place. Chairs were neatly tucked under the tables and the floor looked spotless - there were no signs of the chaos outside at all! Why, of all places, did Aqua choose to come here?

"Look, all we want is to borrow it! It's a matter of life and death, why can't you see that!" I replied.

"And why can't you see that I'm not helping you. Do I have to spell it out for you?" She spat.

I sighed, sick of dealing with her attitude. Looks like Shadow and I would have to find an emerald elsewhere. So much for persuasion.

"Alright, fine. You can keep the emerald, but you'll have to find your own way out of this mess." I replied, trying my best to keep my temper in check.

Aqua smirked. It seemed as if that's exactly what she wanted to happen. "Hang on a second. Why are we in here? Why didn't you get away from this place?"

The cat wandered over to the doors, dragging one of the tables with her. "I need to meet with someone, and this is the floor with the least numbers of _them_, so I'm taking refuge in here." She put the table firmly against the doors and then went back for another. "Not that it's any of _your_ business anyway."

I frowned. This girl was full of surprises.

"Who are you meeting? And just how am I going to get out of here?"

The cat shrugged, adding a third table to the barricade. "Like I said, it's none of your business. I think there's a door in the kitchen. You can go through there. Speaking of which, you should be going _now_. You're annoying me, idiot." She stepped back and dusted off her hands. "There. That should keep them out for a while."

I rolled my eyes. She was right, I should be going. I needed to get back to Shadow. I felt a little guilty at snapping at him, when all he was doing was protecting me. I hoped he would be ok.

"Well, I'm sorry that Shadow did what he did and…good luck, Aqua." I honestly don't know why I said that, but she really didn't deserve what he did to her.

"Hmph, whatever." Was the reply I received. I made my way across the room and into the kitchen at the side. There was a door in the corner, so at least I wouldn't be stuck in here. I grabbed a large carving knife from the counter, just in case I encountered anything on my way to Shadow.

Feeling satisfied, and with new found bravery, thanks to my weapon, I placed my hand on the handle, ready to open the door.

"One…two…three."

As soon as I got to three, I felt a huge weight knock me forwards, and I banged my head on the door. Dropping the knife, I grabbed the arms around my neck and, summoning all my strength, threw the thing off of me.

I turned around, and saw a figure hunched over on the ground. It slowly raised its head and looked at me.

I felt sick. Its skin was a disgusting brown colour and its eyes were yellow, with tiny black pupils in the middle. What was left of its hair was matted and greasy with blood. This had to be the most disgusting sight I had seen so far.

It definitely wasn't any normal zombie.

Once again, the fear I was feeling made me freeze in place. I wanted so badly to pick up the knife, or call out for Aqua.

I felt my palms sweat and my breathing quicken, a sure sign I was panicking. The creature looked as if it could sense my fear, and kept on staring at me. After a few agonizing seconds of eye contact, its mouth slowly broke out into a sickly grin, showing its revolting red-stained teeth.

It was truly a fearsome sight.

I couldn't stand it any longer. Wrenching the door open, I attempted to make a run to safety. However, before I could even step foot out of the door, I felt the familiar weight on my back and I was pulled back inside. Screaming, I struggled to get the creature off of me, and did my best to navigate to where Aqua was, hoping she'd help me.

"AQUA! HELP!" I yelled, stumbling through the doors and pushing the creatures head back to stop its attempt to bite me.

I saw the aqua cat sitting on the barricade she had made, and staring at me in horror. I suddenly tripped, landing with a painful thud on my front. The creature growled and attempted to bite me again. I was struggling to keep its head away from me, because I was laid on my front. I screamed once again and felt the beast being ripped off me. I exhaled loudly, glad to be free of its grasp. Standing up, I saw Aqua push it to the floor, pull out a gun and aim it at its head. But before she could pull the trigger, it leapt away and clung onto the ceiling.

"Amy! Did you shut the door?" The cat asked, trying to get a steady aim on the vile creature, which was jumping around.

"No, I didn't have chance! That _thing_ jumped on me as I was trying to get out."

"YOU IDIOT!" She shrieked, narrowly avoiding her target as it dived at her. "Now you're going to let more of them in!" She fired a couple shots but all of them missed.

My eyes widened. She was right, and now I may have put us both in grave danger.

"Forget it! It's been done now. Go and shut the door before it's too late while I deal with _your_ stupid mistake"

I was about to open my mouth to retort but I knew she wouldn't listen. Instead of wasting my breath, I ran over to the kitchen, hoping Aqua would have my back while I did what I had to.

As I got to the entrance of the kitchen, I stopped in my tracks. Aqua was right, it was too late.

The undead had managed to get in.

A large crowd of flesh-eaters were making their way towards me, teeth baring and growling at the thought of a fresh meal. I gulped and ran back towards Aqua, hoping she might just have a plan.

"Aqua, they're inside! What do we do?" I screamed, trying to keep the panic out of my voice, but to no avail. Said cat was still firing at the demon, an exasperated look on her face.

"What do you think, you idiot? WE FIGHT!" She growled, quickly reloading her weapon.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to fight _with_?" I replied over her gunfire.

"Find something in the kitchen!"

I growled, exasperated. Turning back around, I saw the zombies getting even closer, almost within an arms length of me.

Gasping, I quickly dodged the arms grabbing for me and darted for the counters which were separating the kitchen from the dining area. I did my best to leap over them, but ended up crashing to the floor on the other side. I stood up, and noticed the undead were coming through the kitchen door in large waves.

I scanned the room, frantically searching for anything I could use. A glinting blade caught my eye, which was swinging from above. A meat cleaver, that would do the trick! Grabbing it, I made my way over to the counters again, narrowly dodging a zombies' swing for me. Leaping back over, and ending up in a heap on the floor again, I quickly got to my feet and rushed over to Aqua, slicing at the zombies' head that was about to grab her from behind.

"Thanks, pinky." She said.

"No problem, Aqua." I replied, deciding to forget the nickname. Now wasn't the time for arguments. Aqua and I had to work together to survive, and arguing would no doubt cause problems.

Turning my attention back to the horde, I mustered up my courage, and dashed for the one at the front, slicing the cleaver at its neck. I was momentarily splattered with blood, as it crashed to the floor, blood still oozing out of the fresh wound. I felt my stomach churning, and I willed myself to keep going.

The next zombie came stumbling towards me, snarling and glaring at me. Raising my weapon, I hacked three times at its neck, the third swing partially detaching the head from the neck, until it was hanging from ragged pieces of flesh. I then kicked the body to the floor.

Two down, god knows how many more to go!

* * *

><p>Zombie after zombie, I slashed, hacked and swung at their heads and necks, and body after body was falling to the floor.<p>

Stealing a glance at Aqua, I noticed she had not yet to managed to kill the strange beast. What was it? Some kind of super zombie or something!? I frowned and tried to stay focused on my part of the job.

My ears were ringing with the sound of Aqua's constant gunfire, and I was starting to feel tired and weak. Soaked in blood, I miraculously found the energy to attack another of the undead that was creeping towards me.

My weapon was unrecognisable; it too covered in blood with bits of brain and skin dangling, like they were some kind of morbid decorations. I brought my arm back as far as it would go, waiting for the zombie to get close enough. When the timing was right, I swung my arm forward, but a jolt of pain put my aim off, and instead of hitting the throat, the cleaver impaled itself in the zombie's head.

I let out a cry of pain, and tried to wrench the blade free. I tugged with what little strength I had left, doing my best to avoid the grabs for me. With one final tug, I tried again to withdraw my weapon, but instead of pulling it out of the skull, I had ripped off the head!

I stumbled backwards, my mouth open in shock at what I had done. The body fell to the floor, blood spurting from the neck like a fountain.

I stood staring at my weapon not quite believing what just happened.

Realisation seemed to hit me and I screamed, stupidly throwing the weapon away from me. It clattered to the floor and the head rolled off, landing at the feet of a zombie. Not only was my strength beginning to weaken, I was now completely defenceless against the undead.

I shot a glance at Aqua, who looked as equally exhausted as me. Our only hope was Shadow, and only chaos knows where he is right now. I longed to be back safely with him, even if it meant he would most likely be angry at me for running away.

Suddenly, the sound of Aqua's gunfire stopped.

"AMY! BEHIND YOU!"

Snapping out of my thoughts, I quickly spun around, only to be tackled by the creature that Aqua was so desperately trying to kill. We crashed to the floor and I let out a yelp of pain.

The demon attempted to gnaw at my face, but I managed use my arm to push it back. Even so, it was millimetres away from tearing my face off. The thing was thrashing around, and I knew with every passing second, my strength was weakening considerably.

At this moment, death seemed inevitable and I would have given anything to be in Shadow's arms. Time seemed to slow and I could feel my eyes drooping with fatigue.

All of a sudden, I heard Aqua yell out, and more gunfire sounded, only this time, I knew it wasn't her. Craning my neck to look around, I saw zombies dropping to the floor as bullets ripped through them. Through my blurry vision, I saw something black moving towards me.

"Shadow…" I whispered, smiling to myself. A single shot sounded and the beast pinning me suddenly stopped moving. I felt blood slowly trickling down my face, but I was too tired to care.

The body was suddenly thrown off of me, and the last thing I saw were Shadow's blood red eyes staring at me before I succumbed to the blissful darkness.

* * *

><p>So there it is!<p>

Again, I'm sorry for the lateness, but your patience will be greatly appreciated.

Please read the note at the top of the chapter if you already haven't!

Review! ^_^


	12. A new friend, or a new enemy?

So...I'm back...and with a totally AMAZING chapter. I know, I know, it's been such a long while, but I've gotten myself an apprenticeship, and am also currently writing a collabrative fic with a new friend on fanfiction, so life's been pretty hectic!

I thank you all for the continued support and patience, and I am pleased to present to you, a longer chapter! As is the next one too...they were originally going to be one chapter, but it was far too long, so I had to split it xD

**Review Replies:**

**Mysteryman101** - Can I just say...again...your name is cool! Very mysterious ;) ANYWAY, I'm so glad you liked it, and I only hope you like this one just as much! Thank you for all your great reviews, they mean so much! :) I'm loving them!

**Diana Hedgehog **- Wow...thank you! That is very nice of you to say! I hope you like this chapter, and the next one should be up pretty soon, though I do like to tease readers by leaving cliffhangers haha ;P

**God of chaotic destruction** - Oh, I see! Thank you, I'm glad you like it!

**Megan **- Well...in this chapter it is revealed what happened to Aqua! I apologise if you don't like it, but I thought it went very well with the story. Thanks for your request, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! xxx

**Rex Tyrranous **- I apologise for the late reply; I am not entirely sure on the type of zombie, as you have read they vary greatly, as with the game Dead Island (if you have ever played...if not, I highly recommend it!) The classic slow ones are the main type featured, though I will be bringing out more...adapted ones, such as ones that are fast, others that are strong etc. Mutated ones, y'know?

And to all the other anonymous replies (some of which have the same name "guest" and such xD) thank you so much for all the lovely comments! I love each and every one of them! And I'm pretty sure there was a reviewer asking me not to kill Aqua (I can't find the review, and my memory is terrible!) ...all I can say is...sorry ^^'

And HERE...is the awesomeness you have been waiting for...

* * *

><p>Blood<p>

"_AMY! BEHIND YOU!"_

So much blood

'_Sh-Shadow…'_

I groaned. I had an absolute pounding headache, my body felt numb and on top of all that, my stomach hurt so bad I felt like I was going to be sick. I ached everywhere and I knew that going a few days without food was finally taking its toll on my body.

Just what had happened back there with the zombies?

Was I…Dead?

Is this what death felt like?

And Shadow? What happened to him?

"_Rose…"_

"_Rose, wake up"_

Wait…that was Shadow's voice!

"Rose, can you hear me? You need to wake up…"

I felt a hand, much larger than my own, stroke my quills almost lovingly. I cracked my eyes open and was greeted by the sight of Shadow, who was sat on the floor next to me, his eyes full of worry.

From my position on the floor, my half lidded emerald eyes scanned the room. We were in another office, but this one was completely empty – nothing occupied the room. I looked back to Shadow, who held out a half empty water bottle after taking a drink from it.

"Drink it. You're dehydrated." His tone left no room for argument.

I nodded and gulped down the rest of the liquid, feeling a little better as it cooled my burning throat.

"Shadow…what happened back there? Aqua? Is she okay?"

He solemnly shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Rose. She," He paused, frowning. "She didn't make it. When I came to help you, she ran out of ammo, and the zombies overpowered her. I killed the demon that was attacking you and then I carried you here until you woke up."

It was a lot to take in. I knew Aqua was headstrong, but she didn't deserve to die like that. To share the same fate…

…As Sonic…

Tears pricked my eyes at the thought of him and it took all the willpower I had to not let them fall.

"Rose…"

I looked at Shadow.

"Now that you are awake, do you want to explain to me why you ran off back there...twice!? You know you were unarmed, yet you still put yourself in unnecessary danger, _twice!_ Do you have_ any_ idea how worried I was about you? That was stupid and reckless, you should know better."

"But Shadow-"

"No buts. You shouldn't have gone after Aqua, _especially _after she hurt you."

I looked away, cringing at the harshness in his voice. I knew it was stupid to run off like that, but I had no choice. Even if Aqua _did _hurt me, she made up for it by helping me.

And now she was gone.

"Rose," Shadow's voice was gentler now "I don't mean to snap at you, but you have to understand that what you did was reckless. And with danger lurking everywhere, I had every reason to be worried."

"I-I know, Shadow…."

He nodded. "Now, we need to find somewhere safe to rest for the night, before it gets too dark. We have to keep moving, it's not safe to stay here."

"Right"

Shadow helped me stand up and gave me a quick glance over to make sure I was okay. My stomach rumbled, making me blush, and my companion looked at me worriedly.

"We'll find somewhere to eat, too." He said, and I nodded.

We made our way out of the empty office, Shadow holding his rifle to him, preparing for action. Running down the corridor, I panted hard. If I didn't get something to eat soon, I was going to slow Shadow down even more. And a burden to him was something I didn't want to be.

The main doors were in sight now, and luckily, we hadn't encountered any zombies. The exterior of the building looked to be as clear as we left it, which was definitely a good sign.

Shadow carefully opened the main door, peering outside and scanning the area for any signs of danger. After a few minutes of anxiousness, he finally opened the door fully, grabbed my hand, and led me outside.

The yard outside was deathly quiet, making me feel anxious and slightly nervous that something would jump out at us. The ultimate lifeform led me to the gates, where he tapped in the code for them to open.

"Prepare yourself, Rose. Be ready for anything." Was his warning to me.

I gulped, taking a deep breath to try and steady my pumping heart. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me as the gates slowly opened and I could see the silhouettes of _them_ as the gap increasingly became bigger.

My eyes suddenly widened as I noticed…

_I had no weapon!_

"Sh-Shadow, I-I don't have a weapon!" I panicked, shaking his arm.

He rolled his eyes and pushed me away. "It doesn't matter, foolish girl, I will shoot, then we run to the bike, _do not_ engage in a fight, Got it?"

The gates were fully open now, and the few scattered undead took notice of our presence. They slowly but surely stumbled over to us, teeth grinding together, eyes focused on their pray.

My attention was suddenly drawn away from the advancing threat by a hand roughly grasping my chin and turning my face. I gazed, almost fearfully, into Shadow's blood red eyes.

"_Got it?"_ He repeated.

I nodded "Got it."

"Good."

Shadow readied the revolver he had found back in the GUN office, and pointed at the nearest zombie, an elderly woman. He fired the first of six rounds into the neck, a fountain of blood spurting out from the gaping wound. The zombie was only distracted for a moment, and Shadow fired a second round into its forehead, cracking the top of its skull and causing the being to drop to the floor, immobile.

Shadow then focused on the second of the undead, a woman who looked to be in her late thirties, who was clad in a long skirt and vest top. He carefully took aim, narrowing his eyes as he pulled the trigger. The bullet went straight through the woman's eye, making her stumble backwards before collapsing.

The third zombie was a young boy who looked to be about a teenager. He had black hair and was dressed in t-shirt with some kind of band on the front, accompanied with ripped jeans, obviously a music fan. The boy staggered over to us, reaching out one of his arms which had a chunk of skin missing, the bone sticking out at an almost painful angle. The wound was dripping with blood, which oozed down his arm. Once again, Shadow raised his weapon and took aim, however, just as he fired, the zombie tripped over one of the other bodies, missing the bullet by millimetres.

"Shit…" Shadow mumbled, and aimed at the undead being trying to get up off the floor. He fired, and this time the bullet went straight through his forehead, severing the skull and into the leg of the zombie approaching behind it. Alas, it didn't deter it, and the middle aged man, who was dressed in shorts and a blood-stained once-white t-shirt, continued over to us.

Meanwhile, the last zombie, a woman, was drawing ever nearer, teeth bared and long hair matted. I could barely tell how old she was. Every inch of her was covered in congealing blood, and half of her lower jaw was missing, exposing her stained teeth. Bits of flesh hung gruesomely from the other half of her jaw, making her seem all the more vicious and disgusting.

Two zombies…and only one bullet left. I gulped, clinging perilously to Shadow.

My hedgehog companion took aim for the last time, flicking the revolver from one zombie to the other, deciding which one to shoot. The male demon snarled, and suddenly lunged at us. I yelped, grabbing Shadow and pulling him out of the way just in time.

This was our chance!

Shadow took advantage of the momentary confusion of the being, and shoved it to the ground. He grabbed my hand and ran towards the exit, where the last zombie was approaching from. He aimed his revolver and, just when she was about to dive at us, pulled the trigger and the bullet ripped its way through her head, effectively shattering her skull. He tossed the revolver to the side, empty and useless.

"We have to run to the bike, Chaos knows how many of those damn creatures were attracted by the sound!" Shadow's voice was filled with urgency. I didn't reply.

Shadow and I, still grasping hands, sprinted back down the street towards where we left the bike. I suddenly heard a loud crash and a few growls in the distance, but I didn't dare look back. A few stray creatures lingered here and there, but there wasn't any time, or any need, to take them out. Right now, we had to conserve ammunition and focus on getting to Shadow's motorcycle – and getting out of here to safety!

Suddenly, my vision blurred, and I collapsed to the ground, releasing Shadow's hand.

"Rose!"

I groaned, feeling immense pain in my head and a dull ache in my stomach.

"Shadow…we…we have to…get somewhere with food…my body can't take much more exertion…" I mumbled, trying to clear my vision.

"I know, don't worry, the bike is near by. We'll find somewhere, I promise."

Shadow helped me sit up so I could calm down. He gently rubbed my back and placed a kiss to my temple.

"Come on, we have to go." He carefully placed his left hand under my legs and his right on my back, and lifted me into his arms. I laid my head against his shoulder, willing the nauseous feeling to subside.

After a few more minutes of running, we finally reached the bike, which was exactly how we left it. There was no sign of imminent danger, which was good.

Shadow smoothly let me down, holding onto my arm when I slightly stumbled.

"Climb on, we have to get as far away from here as possible and find somewhere to recuperate."

He helped me onto the bike, making sure his rifle was secure before climbing on himself. I whimpered, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face into his back. The black and red hedgehog started up the bike, and we rode off down the road.

* * *

><p>Everywhere was deathly quiet. The sun was beginning to set, marking the end of another day. Just how many days had it been exactly?<p>

I was losing track of time.

We had been riding through the country for about forty minutes now, making sure to steer clear from towns and cities – that's where the undead were most likely to be. I wasn't sure how much fuel we had left in the tank, but we hadn't found any sign of habitation. With each passing moment, I could feel myself getting weaker. If we didn't find food soon, I feared I wouldn't last much longer, especially if I had to fight against one of _them…_

I rested my forehead against Shadow's back, taking deep breaths and tightening my arms around his waist. Suddenly, I felt him stiffen and looked up.

"Shadow?"

"Rose…I don't want you to panic…but we're nearly out of fuel…"

I gasped. This wasn't good news! We were out in the middle of nowhere and in a few more hours we would be surrounded by darkness, making us easy targets for the undead, with only Shadow's rifle for protection…

Slowly, the bike came to a complete stop and the engine cut out. We sat for a moment, trying to grasp the situation. I peered over Shadow's shoulder and looked at the dials on the bike. The red light was on, signalling we were out of fuel.

"Right…we better get moving. It's going to be dark soon and I don't know about you, but I don't want to be stuck out here." Shadow climbed off the bike, helping me off after him.

"But…it's not safe. We don't know how many zombies are out there!" I replied.

"True…but we need to keep moving. You're getting weak and we need food and water, not to mention sleep. We won't last another day at this rate. Trust me, we'll be fine. There _has_ to be a house somewhere around here."

Shadow took his rifle off his back, clutching it to his chest, ready to fire if need be.

"Come on, we can't stay here." He said, and began walking down the road. I followed after him, feeling a little strength come back to me from resting. I couldn't help feeling like something bad was going to happen; we were out in the open in the midst of a zombie apocalypse for chaos' sake!

After what seemed like hours of walking, I finally noticed a house in the distance. Wait…two houses!

"Shadow, look!" I pointed to the houses, a wild grin on my face.

"Let's go, Rose! There isn't much daylight left." He took my hand and began to walk a little faster.

Five minutes of speed-walking, we reached the two houses. Approaching the one on the left, we entered the garden, Shadow checking the perimeter for any signs of the zombies. The garden was rather small, with a few flower beds here and there, and a nice, stone path going up to the front door, embedded with an intricate swirl pattern.

My companion appeared from the side of the house, having checked the back garden. "It's all clear."

I went up to the front door and knocked, while Shadow peered in through the window.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" I shouted, knocking on the door once again. "Please, we need help!"

Shadow came up to me. "It seems to be empty inside. The owners might have gotten out of this hell…that or they've been torn to shreds."

I grimaced. "Thanks for that…lovely image, Shadow."

He chuckled, giving me a tender kiss on my forehead. He readied his rifle and opened the door. "Hello? Is there anyone here?" He called out. Still, no reply.

The house was quite small, with a living room on the right, and the kitchen, leading to a dining room, on the left. The stairs were just in front of us. "I'll go check upstairs, you check down here. If you need anything, scream for me." I nodded, watching Shadow go upstairs.

Taking a deep breath, I walked slowly into the living room. The television was on, the volume having been turned down so it was just a quiet murmur. There was a large couch on the left wall, facing the television. It looked like your average home, but one thing caught my eye that wasn't normal…

A blood trail.

"Oh god…" I whispered to myself. I gulped, curiosity getting the better of me, and grabbed a poker from next to the fireplace, just in case. I raised it, bracing myself, and followed the trail of blood, which led to a door in the corner of the room. Approaching the door, I put my ear against it, listening out for any noises. Putting my hand on the handle, I gently, slowly, pushed the door open, peering inside.

It looked to be a games room, with a large pool table in the middle and a bar at the far right of the room.

"H-hello?" I whispered so quietly I wasn't sure if I had spoken at all.

Walking a little further into the room, I noticed the trail of blood was getting thicker, and it led to behind the pool table. Taking a deep breath, I slowly crept over, gripping the poker so hard I thought it would snap, despite being made of iron. I craned my neck to see over, and wished I didn't.

My eyes widened, and I suddenly felt my heart stop. There, on the floor, was another body. It looked like a middle aged man, dressed in smart trousers and a shirt. His stomach had been ripped open and his intestines were hanging out. But that wasn't what I was worried about…

There was a _zombie…_

I stared in horror. It was a young woman, dressed in a long sleeved; now blood stained white shirt and a long skirt. Luckily, she hadn't noticed me yet, as she was too busy devouring the man. Her fingernails ripped of pieces of flesh with a disgusting squelching sound, which made my stomach churn. She chewed the bits of bloody flesh, half of it dangling from her mouth.

Slowly, I took a step backwards, as quiet as possible. But suddenly, she stopped, her head springing upright. I froze in my tracks, hoping she would go back to eating what I assumed to be her husband.

But she didn't.

She slowly stood up; dropping the bloodied flesh she had in her hands. My own hands shook with fear, and part of me wanted to fight, whereas the voice in my head was telling me to scream for Shadow and get the hell out!

Agonizingly slow, the zombie turned around, snarling and glaring. Her long blonde hair was tangled with bloodied pulp, making it stick to her face. I had already seen a few zombies like her, but I still couldn't bring myself to stop shaking. She started to stumble over to me, and, quick as a flash, I turned around, only to come face to face with another zombie! But this one was different…

_It was a child!_

The girl looked no older than ten, and was covered in blood. Whether it was her own or the blood of another, it looked horrific. She was a _child!_ I couldn't bear to think what she had been through, how absolutely _terrified_ she must have been, only to meet such a terrible fate. She walked up to me, chewing on flesh.

It was fight or flight, and my body was _screaming_ at me to run.

So I did.

Veins pumping with adrenaline, I screeched as loud as possible to alert Shadow and dashed for the door, knocking the child down with my weapon and out of the way.

"SHADOW! WE HAVE TO GO _NOW!_"

I sprinted out of the living room, seeing Shadow practically bounding down the stairs. He looked over my shoulder and saw the zombies.

"Shit, let's get out of here!" He growled, racing out of the front door with me in tow. I closed it behind me, making sure they wouldn't be able to follow.

"What do we do?" I asked, panting hard.

"Try next door, but no matter what, we have to stay there. We won't have enough time to find more shelter."

We walked to the wooden fence separating the two houses, and Shadow lifted me over before jumping over himself. We walked to the front door, tapping on the glass.

"Hello? P-please, you have to let us in! We need help!" I shouted.

Shadow banged on the door a few times. "Open up!"

Then, as if by miracle, a rather masculine voice answered.

"_Who is it? State your names." _

"My name is Shadow, and the girl is Amy. We're in need of shelter and food. I carry only one gun – a rifle. We mean you no harm."

There was a pause.

"_Where did you come from? What do you want?"_

This time, I answered. "We came from the GUN base a few miles away. We're both in need of rest, we won't last much longer! _Please!"_ I begged.

"_I'll let you in, but if you try anything funny, I have weapons of my own and I won't hesitate to kill you, understand?"_

"Right. We are not looking for a fight, you don't have to worry." Shadow replied, wrapping his left arm around my shoulder.

"_Hmph."_

I heard a few chains click, as well as what sounded like furniture being moved, before the door opened, and a dark blue hedgehog appeared, who looked to be approaching the age of twenty, if not a few years older. There was one thing about him that captivated me…

His eyes

They were a dazzling shade of green, like emeralds.

…Like _Sonic._

My heart clenched at the thought. This guy was practically Sonic's double! I wasn't sure how long I could stay here without bursting into tears, but right now, I had to think of our survival.

"Are any of you injured? Any bites?" He spoke, his smooth voice cutting the awkward silence.

Shadow shook his head. "No."

The guy narrowed his eyes before running his eyes over our forms, checking for himself. Nodding, he stepped aside.

Shadow and I entered his home, dodging the few chairs that were leant against the door. We walked through the hallway and into the living room, hearing the chairs being propped up against the door and the click of the lock.

The hedgehog came in and gestured for us to sit down. We followed his command, sitting on the couch, while he took one of the two chairs opposite. The room wasn't too small, but not very big. It was very cosy, perfect for a small family.

"What is your name?" Shadow asked, propping his rifle up against the arm of the sofa, keeping it close by, just in case…

"My name is Andy. And you, Shadow and Amy, are lucky to be alive. How did you get here?"

"We _did_ have a motorcycle, but it ran out of fuel about a mile back." I answered the Sonic look-alike.

"I see. And you two, are you brother and sister?"

Shadow scowled. "No."

"Don't tell me you are in a relationship?" He chuckled slightly.

"That is none of your business." Shadow replied, giving one of his death glares.

Andy chuckled, smirking at me. "Trust me; you can do better than him." He winked at me, making me frown slightly.

Shadow growled, grabbing my hand. "Personal details aside, can you help us or not?"

He nodded. "Of course. I'm all for helping those in need. I can provide you with food, water and shelter. On one condition."

"What?" My companion demanded, squeezing my hand.

"I'm nearly out of provisions. If you want to stay here and be able to eat too, you need to get some more supplies, enough for the three of us."

There was a moment's silence, before I spoke up again. "And where do you suppose we get these supplies from?"

Andy smiled, and yet again, I was reminded of Sonic, making my lip tremble. "There is a small convenience store not far from here, with a pharmacy. I need to restock on medication too."

I frowned. This guy…something was definitely shifty about him.

The room was silent for a few minutes, until Shadow's voice sounded. "Okay, we'll help you, but you have to provide us with weapons as we're running out of ammunition."

The other hedgehog smirked "Excellent. I have a few handguns you may borrow and a car we can take." He stood up, motioning for us to follow him. Shadow glanced at the rifle and strangely didn't pick it up like I thought he would.

Andy led us into the garage connected to the house, where a car was parked, and several guns were laid on a workbench. He picked up two glocks, handing one to me and the other to Shadow, who put his away and frowned.

"She is not coming with us; it will be you and I."

"What?!" I exclaimed in outrage, my grip on the glock tightening. "There is no way you are leaving me here!"

Shadow glared at me "You are not physically fit to engage in any fight whatsoever right now. You will stay here whether you like it or not." He snarled.

"Well now, I happen to think she could be of use. We need all the help we can get, Shadow. Besides, we won't be long; I'm sure she can handle an hour or so, right Ames?" Andy butted in, slinging his arm around my shoulder.

_Ames…Sonic used to call me that…_

I took a deep breath, trying not to burst out in tears yet again.

I looked at Shadow "See? It's only an hour, I can last that long!" Honestly, I wasn't sure. But I had to go with them, just in case something went wrong…or either of them got a little hot headed.

The black and red hedgehog growled, grabbing my arm and wrenching me away from Andy.

"What are you doing, Shadow! Stop it!" I exclaimed as he put both his hands firmly on my shoulders, bringing me close and giving a strong glare at Andy, who smirked. Shadow then returned his attention to me while the other hedgehog grabbed another glock for himself, and stuffed some ammo into a small bag.

"I know you don't like this, but you have to understand. Rose, you'll only slow us down…"

I gasped. How _dare_ he say that! "No, Shadow. I _refuse_ to stay here. I won't slow you down, I promise." I pulled away from him and began to walk away, hearing Shadow growl. "You are really testing my patience, Rose. Stop being so childish."

I ignored him, gritting my teeth and walking towards Andy who held open the right-hand back door of the car.

"After you," He motioned for me to get in, and he shut the door after me. Still silently fuming, I put on my seatbelt. There was no way Shadow was telling me what to do. Yes, I desperately needed rest, but I could go another hour…right?

The dark blue hedgehog put the bag of ammo into the boot of the car and then slid into the driver's seat. Shadow took the front passenger. Andy pressed a button on a small device, which opened the garage door. He started the car and drove out, taking a left down the road.

* * *

><p>The next chapter will be up a whole lot sooner than this one was, but only because it's already pre-written haha!<p>

So how was it? Reviews are appreciated! ;)

Love, CP x


	13. Suspicions and Drama

It's not the QUICKEST update...but it's certainly quicker. And I will try my utmost hardest to update quick!

**Review Replies:**

To the **Guest** who is telling me to "hurry the hell up" because you are waiting so long. I say this because I mean it - I WILL FINISH THIS STORY EVEN IF IT KILLS ME! I WILL NOT ABANDON MY WORK OF ART...EVER (Unless due to circumstances out of my control...which are rare) So please do not think I'm saying this for the sake of it. And also, please don't threaten to burn down my house...it's incredibly immature, and will not make me update any faster. I am not motivated by threats. Thank you for being eager for a new chapter though, I am glad you like the story! :)

**Mysteryman101 - **Once again, thank you so much for such positive reviews! I'm really pleased you're enjoying the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

**Not Important - **The name may not be important, but you as a reader are most certainly important! Thank you for reviewing, and please don't give up on me. As I mentioned before, I will not give up on this story. Ever. I'm not the kind of person to give up, I have incredible levels of determination, and I will finish one way or another.

**Espionage55 - **Thank you! :D

**BeltOfVenus - **You'll have to read and find out... ;)

So...the journey continues...

* * *

><p>The journey was completely silent.<p>

No-one uttered a word, except for Andy, who tried to initiate conversation with us. Shadow told him to shut up and concentrate on driving, to which Andy just scoffed.

After about ten minutes of driving in silence, the car pulled up outside a small shop with some fuel pumps. It was the only building I had seen since we left.

The three of us exited the car and Andy went to retrieve the ammo.

"Rose, come here." Shadow whispered. I sighed, and walked over to him.

"What is it, Shadow?" I looked around, for any signs of imminent danger. All was quiet…for now.

"I have every right to be angry about this. I'm worried about you, but nonetheless, you are here now. If you feel the _slightest_ bit dizzy or ill or whatever, you tell me and come _straight back _to the car, understand?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Shadow wrapped his arms around me kissing the top of my head.

"Okay guys…if you're quite finished. Why don't we go in?" On hearing Andy's voice, I pulled away. He walked up to us and gave us a spare magazine each, which we put away safely.

"Right. While we're here, we might as well top up the car with fuel. Okay, I'll go to the pharmacy and get what I need, you guys fill up with food, we'll meet back at the car and I'll fill up with fuel. Got it?"

I nodded while Shadow scowled, obviously not liking being told what to do.

I rolled my eyes at Shadow's behaviour, "Yes, we got it."

Andy nodded and we walked to the building, glocks at the ready. Shadow stood to the left of the door, gun poised and ready to fire if need be. I stood behind him while Andy was at the right side of the building, peering through the large glass window next to the cash register.

"I can't see much, it's quite dark. You guys know not to shoot unless it's necessary, right?"

Shadow nodded and rolled his eyes. "Yes, we already know that gunshots attract attention."

Andy glared briefly at him, before standing next to the door, and carefully opening it. Luckily, no alarm sounded and after a few seconds of listening for any noise, Andy slowly walked in, Shadow and I following.

The darkness and the silence made the atmosphere unbearably eerie. We stood for a few minutes, observing our surroundings intently for any signs of the zombies.

Surprisingly, there was plenty of food left on the shelves, but the floor was scattered with random bits and bobs. Either a fight had taken place here, or survivors had come for supplies.

At the cash register, there was a huge blood splatter on the wall behind. It oozed slowly downwards in sticky trails and looked pretty fresh. I wasn't sure if it was from a fatal gunshot or a zombie attack. Either way, I didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

Shadow grabbed a tin that was next to his feet and walked to the entrance of the middle isle. He gently rolled the tin down it, intentionally making noise so any zombies would reveal themselves.

Again, we waited a few moments and to my surprise, nothing happened.

"Right, I'll go into the pharmacy and stock up, you guys grab some food." Andy instructed and walked through to the pharmacy, the entrance of which was to the right of the cashier desk.

Shadow walked to a stack of metal baskets and picked out two, giving one to me.

"Fill it with non-perishable items and come find me. Do not go out of this area without telling me." Shadow instructed and walked down the isles to the right.

I frowned. Shadow seemed…off…for some reason, and it was making me worry. Sighing, I walked down the left-hand isles, basket swinging from my arm and my gun ready.

I grabbed some tinned foods, not bothering to look at the labels. One cannot afford to be picky in times of crisis, right?

Reaching the end of the first isle, I was about to turn the corner and continue, when something made me stop abruptly and gasp.

There was a body lying in a pool of blood on the floor.

Switching my gun to my right hand, I raised it, pointing at the male body which was sprawled out. Its stomach had been ripped open and its rib cage clearly visible. This could only mean one thing…

_There was a zombie in here!_

I gulped, feeling the panic rise. Either we were lucky and the zombie was already dead or gone, or there was one still lurking around here somewhere.

Just _waiting _to strike

However, nothing had appeared when Shadow had rolled the tin, so I assumed it was safe for now.

Taking a deep breath, I cautiously walked up to the body; gun pointed at the head, and gingerly poked it with the end of my boot. Luckily, it stayed immobile, and I quickly tiptoed around it with a grimace.

In the next isle, I grabbed packets of dried pasta and random confectionary items, throwing them into my basket. Looking around, there was nothing else of use, so I walked down the isle to the door, setting my basket down on the floor.

Moments later, Shadow walked towards me, carrying a heavy looking basket full of water bottles. He set it down next to mine.

"Everything okay?" He asked, frowning at me.

"Shadow, I think there may be a zombie in here. There's a body down in the corner which has clearly been eaten, but I'm not sure whether it's still alive, or if it's even in here." I replied.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the pharmacy area.

"Shit," Shadow mumbled "I hope that idiot knows what he's doing."

"What do you have against him, Shadow? He saved us! The least you can do is be grateful!" I hissed.

"I _am_ grateful, Rose, but I don't appreciate him forcing you to come here. You're injured for chaos' sake!"

I growled at his reply, "He did _not _force me here; I came of my own free wiil. And I am not injured, merely a little malnourished." I sighed, arguing would get us nowhere. "Look, Shadow, once we get back we can eat something proper, get a good nights sleep and then figure out what to do in the morning, okay?" I wrapped my arms around his middle, burying my face into his chest. He returned my embrace, hugging me tightly to him.

"You're right, I apologise. But I still don't trust him."

I rolled my eyes, "No-one is asking you to be friends with him, Shadow. Just try to deal with it."

We stood like that for what seemed like hours and I couldn't help but think: Where do we go from here?

Would we stay with Andy, or leave and find shelter of our own? But with what vehicle? There were so many questions buzzing around in my head. It was starting to give me a headache.

"Hey guys, looks like we're ready to go!" Andy walked out of the pharmacy entrance and towards us, with a bag full of medication.

Shadow and I pulled away and reached for our baskets of supplies. "Why do you have so much in the bag? You don't look like a doctor." Shadow asked, his eyes narrowed.

Andy seemed to tense up, "You never know what you might need. And besides, I have guests now." He sent a wink towards me, making me roll my eyes and Shadow growl.

I suddenly noticed movement from behind him. My eyes widened – it was one of the undead, and he was heading straight behind an unaware Andy!

I raised my gun, pointing behind him, "Andy, watch out!" I yelled. Andy's eyes widened and he suddenly leapt out of the way, just beyond the zombie's clutches. I fired the gun, the shot echoing in the darkness, and the zombie staggered backwards after being hit in the left shoulder.

"Shit, run!" Andy screamed, running towards us. Shadow and I quickly picked up the baskets and ran out of the door, our companion in tow. Just as the zombie reached the door, he shut it, the undead being smacking against the glass. It snarled, angry that its prey had escaped, and continued to bang against the door. Andy pushed against the doors, while Shadow found a nearby plank of wood and stuck it through the door handles, effectively trapping the zombie.

"Good work there, Amy!" He winked, "I thought for sure I was a goner. You guys put these in the car while I fill up." He gave the bag of medicines to me and walked towards the pumps.

Once again, Shadow growled, annoyed with all the orders. Nonetheless, he kept quiet, sending a glare to Andy's back before walking to the car and gesturing for me to follow him. He opened the boot at the back before putting his basket inside, taking mine from me and putting it next to his. He then took the bag and peered inside, frowning after a few moments.

"What's wrong, Shadow?" I whispered, looking around the car at Andy, who was pressing buttons on the pumps.

"This medication, it's suspicious. Antipyretic drugs, used to reduce fevers." He replied.

"What's suspicious about that?"

"Before they turn, those who are bitten go through a surge in body temperature, one of the sure signs that they are close to becoming one of the undead. He is hiding something; I knew he couldn't be trusted." Shadow's eyes narrowed and he put the bag into the boot, closing the door afterwards.

"You can't assume things, Shadow…"

He opened his mouth to reply, but was abruptly cut off.

"Hey, you guys! I could use some help here. There are zombies approaching!" Andy shouted, not sounding the least bit panicky.

Shadow and I ran around to the front of the car and readied our pistols. About three zombies were in front, slowly staggering towards us.

I looked to my left, and also saw a couple approaching. Shadow had begun to open fire on the ones in front, so I raised my glock and took aim at the left hand zombie, a rather tall, lean male.

I fired twice, both hitting the right shoulder blade. I couldn't concentrate with Shadow's gunshots, but alas, I lined up my weapon again. I fired a second time, and it hit the stomach.

Growling, I suddenly felt arms wrap around me, and a pair of gloved hands resting on top mine.

"Keep calm, Rose. Steady your breathing." Shadow's husky voice whispered in my ear and I gulped, blushing.

"Relax your hand, and look through the iron sights. Aim just above your target to compensate for gravity." He slightly raised the gun, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple.

"Take a deep breath and when you're comfortable…fire."

I did as he instructed and inhaled deeply, firing a single shot at the head.

It was a perfect hit.

I grinned as the zombie fell to the floor, a gaping hole in its head.

The second zombie was getting nearer. Shadow removed his hands from mine, but I could still feel his comforting presence behind me.

Once again, I took aim just above the head, took a deep breath and fired. It wasn't a perfect shot like before, but the zombie collapsed, so the bullet did its job.

I lowered my weapon and exhaled shakily, spinning around and grinning up at Shadow.

"Thank you! That was amazing!" I leaned up to kiss his cheek as a thank you.

The sound of a cough startled us, and I quickly moved away from Shadow and looked at Andy, who was smirking, but there was a strange glint in his eyes.

And I didn't like it.

"Come on…we better be getting back," He said, before putting the fuel pump back and getting in the driver's seat.

Shadow closed the boot, and we both climbed into the car. Once again, Andy started the engine and we drove away.

* * *

><p>Just like the first part of our journey, the ride back was silent, with Andy not even attempting to make conversation. I peered out of the windows into the darkness, only seeing a few zombies here and there. Otherwise, it was pretty quiet outside.<p>

My stomach rumbled loudly, and once again, my vision blurred. I was getting worse, having not eaten for so long. I'm surprised I even lasted the fight back at the store…

"Hey, what do you guys say about grabbing some food before we get back? I know this diner nearby, just around the next corner, it's pretty decent." Came Andy's voice, sounding pretty cheerful to say there was a zombie apocalypse currently going on.

Shadow frowned, "No, we have food. We'll eat at your house."

The dark blue hedgehog laughed, "We're in no rush to get back, and besides, I haven't visited that place in a while."

I suddenly felt a rush of sickness, and I groaned. Food sounded _really _good right about now…

"Yes! Let's go! I don't think I can stand much longer without something to eat…" I replied desperately.

Shadow looked over the seat at me, frowning with concern, before he turned back to look at Andy.

"But how do we even know it's safe? Amy won't last another fight like she is! It's too risky."

"Well, she can always stay in the car while we check it out. Don't worry, Shads."

Said hedgehog snarled at the nickname, "If you _ever_ call me that again-"

"Shadow!" I interrupted, "Let's just see if it's safe, and if it's not, we'll go straight back to Andy's house and rest, okay?"

"Looks like you're outvoted, man. We're going." Came Andy's smug voice.

Shadow didn't reply; it was obvious he was in a bad mood.

We carried on driving for about five more minutes, and Andy turned down the next left, instead of going straight on to his home.

The diner was about another two minutes away, and strangely enough, the outside looked safe. Not one zombie was roaming around. I hoped this was a good sign that everyone managed to escape safely.

Our new friend (if we could even call him that as of yet) parked the car near to the door in case a quick escape was needed. He and Shadow both exited the car and reloaded their glocks with the spare ammo, afterwards walking cautiously towards the glass door.

Shadow carefully pushed it open, and peered inside. After scanning his surroundings best he could in the darkness, he walked in, flicking the nearby light switch on, and illuminating the diner. He looked out of the window, and motioned for me to come in.

I carefully climbed out of the car, not forgetting my glock, and joined my two companions in the diner.

Luckily, there were no bodies, blood, or any other gory things inside. Only plates of half eaten food littered some of the booths, and a few smashed plates were on the floor. The TV above the counter was on, but only showed coloured stripes, indicating the signal had been lost.

It looked to me as if everyone had seen the disaster on the TV and panicked, rushing out to the nearest evacuation centre.

"I'll go see what there is to eat in the kitchen, Ames, you wanna come help?" Andy broke the silence, looking at me with those dazzling emerald eyes. It was hard to deny him.

I nodded, and took a step forward, noticing Shadow glaring at the other hedgehog, to which Andy just smirked and I rolled my eyes.

I walked around the counter to the kitchen door, not bothering to look back to see if he was following.

Opening the door slightly, I peeked inside. The lights were still on, but there looked to be no sign of the undead, and I carefully crept inside with Andy following.

"So…what's his problem?" Andy asked, breaking the silence and jerking his thumb over his shoulder, going to check the cupboards for any food.

I walked to the fridge and opened it, looking for anything fresh we could eat. "He's not exactly a people person," I replied "Just ignore all the looks, you'll get used to them."

Sadly, there was nothing that was edible.

"Find anything?" I asked, a little annoyed as I shut the fridge door.

"Nope," Andy replied, checking the last of the cupboards "Nothing we can really make a meal out of and most of it I wouldn't advise eating…" He walked over to me, a small smile on his face "How long you been travelling for anyway?"

"I…I don't know. About a few days I guess." I had lost all track of time since the death of Sonic, and honestly, I was past caring. All that mattered was survival now.

"I see…and how did you meet Shadow?"

I looked at Andy a little suspiciously, wondering why he was asking so many questions. "He saved my life. My…friend…and I were making our way to an evacuation centre, but we ran into a horde and he was killed." I choked out, trying to hold back the tears "Then luckily, Shadow came and helped me, and we've been together ever since."

Andy came even closer, and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. "I'm sorry to hear that. I, too, have lost someone to this…this nightmare…I know how hard it is." His tone was sympathetic, and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him in return.

"You…you look exactly like him. His fur was lighter though, but you have the same eyes. It's like he's here with me…" I whispered, the tears finally cascading down my cheeks, and I felt Andy hugging me tighter.

"What was his name?"

"Sonic…"

"Well, Amy…Sonic may not be here physically…but y'know he's always gonna be watching over you..."

I didn't reply, just continued to cling to Andy…maybe he really understood what it was like to lose someone…like Shadow did.

I pulled away and stepped backwards, a light blush on my face "So…who did you lose?"

The atmosphere suddenly felt very tense, as he stared at me. "Someone I held very close to me…but don't worry, she's here, with me…in more ways than one…" He gave a chilling smile, and I immediately felt weary. I frowned, going to make my way towards the kitchen door and back into the diner, when Shadow suddenly burst through.

"What is taking so long? Any supplies?" Yet again, he glared at Andy, as if hoping he would disappear.

"No, nothing." Andy narrowed his eyes at Shadow's look

"Then we're moving out, we have company."

I felt a surge of panic run through me at his comment "How many?"

"Enough to overpower us. Let's go. Now." He grabbed my wrist, pulling me over to the back door. "You two head to the car, I'll create a distraction." He headed to back to the kitchen door, pausing next to Andy "Keep her safe, otherwise I will not hesitate to kill you. And take your car. And your provisions." Giving one last glare, he headed back into the diner, and a feeling of dread rose within me.

Andy rolled his eyes and came over to me "What the hell is his problem?!"

I didn't answer as I watched him open the exit slightly, and peer out. I could hear the moans and growls of the undead, and a shiver ran down my spine.

"Let's go!" Andy pulled me outside, and we carefully crept alongside the building up to the corner. "Wait…" He put his arm out to halt me, looking around the corner of the building. Moments later, he turned back, his eyes wide. "We better hope Shadow does SOMETHING…we can't get to the car like this."

Frowning, I leant around him, holding back a gasp at the sight. A horde of zombies were clawing at the huge windows of the diner, attracted by the bright lighting in the darkness. They were surrounding the car, and there was no way we could reach it without a fight…

Suddenly, the lights went off and music blasted throughout the darkness, and I jumped as each one of the windows of the diner was broken, shattering glass over the undead, which had no effect on them. The zombies, attracted by the loud noise, attempted to get into the building, tripping over the low walls where the huge windows once were and falling onto the tables and the floor.

Once most of them were inside, Andy grabbed my hand and we dashed for the car, silently opening the doors and climbing inside.

Moments later, Shadow came from around the side of the building where we were stood mere minutes ago. He raced to the car, sitting in the front passenger seat. "Get going!"

Andy didn't need to be told twice, as he started up the engine and switched on the lights, attracting the attention of the zombies at the back of the horde.

Hearing a loud snarl and a bang, I whipped my head towards my window to see one of the undead growling at me and pounding weakly on the window. It bared its rotting teeth, face pressed against the glass, making me scream.

"DRIVE! NOW!" I shrieked, crawling away from the window. Andy put the car into reverse, making the zombie slip and fall to the floor, and causing me to hit my head on the window.

"Watch it, you idiot!" Shadow growled, and Andy didn't reply.

Putting the car into neutral, he stomped on the accelerator and I cringed as the car jumped, signalling we had just ran over the body on the floor.

Andy sped off into the night, none of us looking back.

* * *

><p>Yet again, more silence in the car. I noticed I felt a little better, though I assumed it was down to adrenaline. Once that had worn off, I was pretty sure I'd faint from exhaustion.<p>

Reaching Andy's house, he pulled into the driveway and parked the car in the garage, closing the door behind us.

We all exited the car, and Shadow gave both our glocks to Andy, afterwards coming over to me.

"How are you feeling?"

"…Okay…I guess it's just the adrenaline though." I shrugged

He gave me a gentle kiss on my forehead and then headed to the boot to collect the supplies. Andy headed over to him, picking up the bag of medication.

"Make yourself at home." He said simply, before walking out of the garage.

Shadow and I glanced at each other. That was…strange…

Shrugging, I lifted the basket of provisions out of the car and made my way into the house, Shadow following with the water.

"Where did he go?" I asked as we stocked the cupboards full of food.

"Good question…perhaps we should find out…" He replied, going to walk off. I grabbed his arm before he could make it to the doorway

"No, Shadow. I know you don't trust him, but if we're living with the guy then we're bound to find out if he's up to something. Right now we just have to keep our defences up."

He stared at me for a moment before sighing and heading to the fridge, peering inside. I resumed stocking the cupboards.

A part of me wondered how long we'd be able to stay here, and if Andy would prove to be a trusted comrade or our worst enemy.

"Eat."

I turned towards Shadow, who was holding out some kind of sandwich to me. I gratefully accepted and started to eat, watching as he did the same.

We stood in silence eating our food, wondering just what Andy was doing. He certainly seemed…shifty to say the least.

"Oh good, you've found something to eat." Andy's voice came as he entered the kitchen with a grin.

"Where did you go?" I asked, finishing the last of my sandwich. It wasn't much, but it would satiate my hunger until morning at least.

"I was just checking on something, and making sure your room was ready." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Right…thank you, Andy. I…we…really appreciate this. Even IF Shadow gets a little…moody."

Said hedgehog glared at me, to which I just grinned.

"It's no problem, Ames. It's the least I can do. We'll talk more in the morning, for now you should get some sleep. Your room is first on the right as you go up the stairs." He nodded toward the staircase.

"Thanks." Shadow replied abruptly, walking off and pulling me behind him.

Andy suddenly grabbed his arm, face serious. "I know you're living here temporarily, but bear in mind this is MY house…if I catch you in places you shouldn't be then regardless of helping me I will make you pay."

I stood shocked, and Shadow growled.

"What places? What do you mean?" I asked, a little confused. What was he hiding…?

Andy avoided the question "You know what I mean…no snooping around."

After giving him a death glare for the umpteenth time, Shadow pulled me out of the kitchen, heading into the living room to retrieve the rifle, and then afterwards we headed upstairs and into our room. It was very plain, with only basic furniture decorating it, along with a small single bed and dark purple walls.

"What was that about?" I asked, watching as Shadow opened a closet and pulled out a pillow.

"I don't know, but I will find out. Tomorrow I'm going to look around after we discuss a plan of action."

"…You heard what he said, Shadow! What if there are traps or something?"

Shadow placed the pillow on the floor next to the bed, along with the rifle, and walked over to me, embracing me in a warm hug.

"How careless do you think I am?" He sounded amused "We have to get rid of him first though, and I don't like the thought of you being alone with him."

"He doesn't bother me, I think I'm quite capable of defending myself if need be, as I've already demonstrated many times already!"

Truth be told, I partially wondered if I'd get distracted because he looked like Sonic…

"I know, Rose, I know. Get some sleep; we'll deal with everything in the morning." He leaned down to place a chaste kiss on my lips, then went to lay on the floor beside the bed.

"…Shadow…why are you on the floor?"

He gave me a disbelieving look "Do you really think I will let YOU sleep on the floor. Give me some credit, Rose. I admit I can be harsh but even I know it's just pure manners."

Blushing, I made my way over to the bed, climbing in and snuggling down into the blankets.

"Thanks…" I suddenly felt very ill, wincing at the sickly feeling in my stomach and the sharp headache, a sure sign the adrenaline had worn off and the malnutrition was taking its toll on my body.

"Goodnight, Rose."

I mumbled out a reply as my eyelids slid shut and I drifted off into my own little dream world.

* * *

><p>I think you guys are going to LOVE what I have planned...what do you think Andy is hiding? Is he hiding anything at all, or is he being shifty for fun?<p>

Reviews are welcomed, and I'm curious to know what you guys think...


	14. Andy's Secret

Hey guys! :D

I think I'm getting better at updating...even if it IS a month...it's better than several months, right?

Anyway, I want to thank **Alicia the Wolf **for helping me with this chapter, and giving me inspiration to write this.

And also, thank YOU for reading, favouriting, alerting and reviewing. It really means alot to me, and I'm super glad that people love this story so much.

It was also brought to my attention that someone was copying my story on DeviantArt...I had to make an account to solve this, and boy did I give this person a hard time! XD If anyone thinks my fic is being stolen, I would greatly appreciate you telling me :) Thanks guys!

**Review Replies:**

**Shadamyfan123 - **Wow, thank you so much! As for your question, it should be explained in this chapter, but feel free to PM me if you need any further clarification :) And yes, I too hate it when people don't finish their work, it's very annoying. Which is why I don't ever intend to be one of those writers. Late updates? Sadly, that's definitely a possibility (life gets in the way :I). Abandoning story? NEVER.

**amyrosefan123 - **You are most welcome hon! :D And as for your questions, all will be revealed in later chapters ;)

****WARNING, THERE IS A SPOILER HERE! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW REPLY IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS!****

**Brandy - **You think I should bring back Sonic? I'll let you in on a little secret...*whispers* Sonic the zombie is definitely going to make an appearance at some point...

****THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE ZONE...You may continue reading****

And as for what Andy is hiding...there was only a select few who came close to getting it, I think even one person DID get it. Many of you came up with creative ideas, I loved reading them. But read on, and you shall find your answer...

This chapter is a special one with Andy and Shadow's POV's, just to mix things up.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Andy's POV<strong>

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

Groaning, I reached my arm out to hit the top of my alarm clock, effectively stopping the irritating noise. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, the red flashing numbers on the clock reading six AM.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, my eyes drifted to the photo placed on the bedside table, right next to my clock. It was my most treasured possession, the only thing I had left that really held any meaning anymore. I picked it up with a small smile and ghosted my fingers over the picture.

My parents stood proudly in the background with an arm around each other, while my younger sister and I stood in front of them, pulling each others' quills. This was about ten years ago, and this picture reminded me of happier times, where there were no zombies.

I missed my family terribly. I still remember the day that they were taken away from me, ravaged by those _bastards _in front of my very eyes. The image of their blood-stained corpses was permanently tattooed on the inside of my eyelids, for every time I closed my eyes, I could see nothing but that image; hear nothing but their screams of pain...

Shuddering, I forced the image out of my head, and stared at the innocent face of my sister. She was five years younger than me, and despite the arguments and the sibling rivalry, I loved her and my family more than life itself.

She didn't deserve to die the way she did. None of my family did.

My parents threw themselves to the undead to enable my sister and I to escape. I remember her screaming as I dragged her away from the sight of our parents being devoured, and tears streaming down my face as I struggled to keep her in my arms.

The next thing I remember was being pushed to the ground by a zombie and seeing my sister being bitten in the neck, writhing helplessly as the zombie pinning her chewed mercilessly on her flesh.

Grimacing, I slammed the picture back down and stood up, heading over to the door and listening carefully for any sign that Shadow and Amy might be awake. After a moment of silence I stepped out of my room and headed downstairs to the garage quietly, ready to begin my daily routine.

Reaching the garage, I unlocked and climbed into the car, reversing it back slightly - just enough to reveal a hidden basement door, which blended well with the concrete floor. I pulled it open and stepped inside, walking down a few of the wooden steps before shutting the door behind me. Walking down the rest of the stairs I flicked a light switch at the bottom, lighting up the previously dark room.

I headed over to my workbench and grabbed a clean apron and a dust mask, putting them on and grabbing a large butcher's knife from the utensil hooks on the wall.

A few, scattered flies surrounded a small pile of rotting bodies that lay next to the workbench, which were covered in blood and produced a vile stench, probably because they had been there for about a month. Grimacing, I cut a pair of legs off the one at the top of the pile and placed them on the workbench, hacking and slashing at them to cut them into pieces, paying no attention to the sticky blood oozing out.

It was a truly gruesome job, but it had to be done. Apron covered with blood stains, I placed the rotting flesh in a bucket next to my foot, humming to myself as I did so.

Once the bucket was full, I took off the apron and mask and placed them on a hook.

Picking up the bucket, I was ready for my first task of the day.

* * *

><p><strong>An hour later…<strong>

Yawning, I sat down at the kitchen table with bowl of cereal in front of me. I had successfully completed my daily job, and now it was time for breakfast.

My thoughts wandered to Shadow and Amy, and a grin found its way onto my face upon thinking of my plan for them. Sure, they wouldn't be happy about it, but frankly I didn't really care.

Now wasn't the time to worry about others.

Amy was exactly like my sister used to be. Bright, bubbly, caring…

Alive. In more ways than one.

It was bewildering to think how Shadow and Amy could even have a relationship together, they are polar opposites! She is far too innocent to be in this mess.

Just like my sister.

"Good morning!"

Amy's sweet voice pulled me from my thoughts. I smiled at her, and gestured for her to take a seat, which she did.

"Morning…how did you sleep?"

"Good, thank you." She nodded at me, returning my smile, and made herself some breakfast. I frowned, noticing Shadow wasn't following her, nor did I hear any movement upstairs.

"Where's Shadow?"

"Oh, he's still sleeping. I don't like to wake him; he's scary enough as it is…"

I raised my eyebrow, but didn't reply. She shouldn't be scared of a nobody like _him_.

"Andy…can I ask you something?"

"Sure…"

Amy looked a little nervous, barely looking me in the eye. "Last night…why were you so adamant that Shadow and I couldn't look around?"

I blinked. Well _that _was unexpected, but surprisingly, I didn't feel as hostile towards her as I did yesterday. Perhaps that was because Shadow wasn't present.

"I'm entitled to privacy, am I not?" I smirked.

"Well…yeah…but you were so…harsh about it."

"Amy…my house means a lot to me. It's full of happy memories I shared with my family, do you think I'd really want strangers wandering around and snooping through things that aren't theirs, or trashing the house?"

"I guess not," She shrugged, "But Shadow and I have better things to do than trash your house."

"Good…because if I find anyone snooping in places they shouldn't…well, you'll wish you hadn't."

My face was completely serious, with not a hint of emotion.

Amy gulped, and resumed eating her breakfast. "Well, I'll be sure to remember that…"

I looked towards the stairs, eyes narrowing "I hope you're not the only one…"

* * *

><p><span><strong>Shadow's POV<strong>

About twenty minutes had passed since Amy went downstairs.

I stood at the bedroom door listening carefully to the conversation partaking between her and Andy.

Hearing her tell him that I was still asleep, I was sure that he would be sceptical about it, considering what had happened last night. He didn't seem the most trusting of people.

But then again, neither was I.

Whilst Amy and Andy were engaging in conversation over breakfast, I carefully opened the door and stepped out of the room. After listening for a moment longer, I deemed it safe to explore.

Starting with Andy's bedroom, I wasn't actually sure what I was looking for. Upon entering, I saw it was pretty plain, just like the room Amy and I slept in. I searched the wardrobe, chest of draws and underneath the bed, but there were no signs of anything suspicious.

Noticing an en-suite, I checked inside. It was a pretty ordinary bathroom, nothing seemed out-of-place. Though there was one thing bugging me.

Peering inside the medicine cabinet above the sink, I noticed there were painkillers, among other general household medications.

But there was no sign of the antipyretic drugs Andy brought from the pharmacy.

Frowning, I shut the cabinet and exited Andy's bedroom, standing on the landing.

Amy and Andy were still talking, but I knew I had to be quick, otherwise Andy would get suspicious. I wondered if Amy was okay. She sounded fine for the moment, and she was doing brilliantly well in keeping that Faker look-alike occupied.

I briefly wondered if he liked her; it certainly seemed as though he held a soft spot for the girl.

Thinking this made me glare at the wall in annoyance. Amy was the second girl that I ever truly cared about, and although I don't understand these strange feelings, I know that I care deeply about her.

A strange fluttering feeling suddenly swept over my chest and around my stomach, making me grimace.

Just what is this strange feeling? Is it somehow linked to my feelings for Rose?

Shaking my head, I cleared my mind from these confusing thoughts and tried to put my focus back on the mission.

Next, I decided to head to the garage to search the cabinets in there. Just _where _could he have put that medicine…and what was he hiding? I had no idea, but I knew one thing.

I was going to find out before Rose and I end up in danger.

Upon arriving, I opened one of the huge metal cabinets in the garage which was surprisingly unlocked. Unfortunately, there was nothing of interest to me. Just oil, fuel and other car necessities.

And that's when it hit me.

The putrid, vile, disgusting stench invaded my sentitive nostrils, making my stomach churn. It was a very familiar smell, one of rotting flesh I knew, as I remembered it from just before I saved Rose from Sonic.

I was on my way from the GUN base to check out the situation at the evacuation centre, but upon my arrival I noticed that there was not one single survivor left. Zombies milled about lifelessly, and many dead bodies were scattered around randomly. It looked as though the evac centre had been abandoned for days, considering the repugnant odour that was coming from the area, most presumably caused by the half-burned bodies and the decaying flesh of the living dead.

Narrowing my eyes, I searched around the garage for anything that could be responsible for emitting the smell, but to no avail.

I figured that whatever was causing it had only just been done last night, as I never picked up the scent yesterday.

Perhaps the drugs had something to do with this?

All of a sudden, my eyes picked up an extremely faint, thin trail of pale red, almost pinkish liquid that had stained the floor. If I wasn't the Ultimate Lifeform, I never would have noticed it and neither would any other normal person.

The trail seemed to lead underneath the car, so using my strength I pushed it backwards a little, being careful to keep the noise down to a minimum, though it would have been considerably easier if the hand brake was removed. Alas, I had no keys to unlock the car.

I pushed the car back until a trap door was revealed, where the trail, which I clearly knew was blood, lead.

I realised I had to be quick, seeing as Andy would be getting suspicious. So, pulling open the door, I immediately recoiled as the stink of rotting flesh hit me, making me gag.

Regaining my composure, I walked down the stairs and flicked the light on, keeping my guard up and my eyes peeled for anything, but also bearing in mind that I had to hurry up.

As I descended the stairs, the nauseating smell got increasingly stronger, which I had no doubt would cause anyone who didn't have a strong stomach to vomit as soon as the door opened.

Resisting the urge to gag, I noticed the trail was no longer a pale pink, but a deep, dark, thick red.

_Blood red._

As soon as I entered the room, my eyes drifted to the cause of the stench: A pile of rotting bodies, which lay situated next to a heavily blood-stained workbench.

Heading over to the bench, I saw various knives and cutting tools laid around and hung up, some covered in a red, sticky substance, some with chunks of bone wedged onto the blade, and some clean and shining, clearly unused.

Realisation suddenly hit me like a passing train, slamming into my body with such force I felt physically sick to my stomach.

_Andy was cutting up the bodies._

_But why…_

Growling, I quickly made my way back up to the garage, turning the light off and shutting the door behind me.

I took a moment to gain my composure, a thousand questions running through my mind. Just what did Andy feel the need to keep a stash of bodies for?

And more importantly, did he plan on using Amy and I to add to his morbid collection?

* * *

><p>"Shadow," Andy gave me a smile, which was clearly fake and forced. "So glad you could join us."<p>

Grunting, I sat down next to Rose at the kitchen table. It looked as though the two had just about finished breakfast, which was good.

The sooner I can talk to Rose the better. We needed to think up a plan as soon as possible.

"Good morning, Shadow." My female companion gave me a small kiss on the cheek, looking relieved to see me. I guessed she was beginning to grow annoyed with Andy's company, though I don't blame her.

His presence was more than enough for me to want to strangle the guy.

"So, what do you guys have in mind for today then?" The fake smile on Andy's face never left.

"I think Shadow and I are just going to recuperate for the day, get our strength back before moving out. We're both a little malnourished and exhausted from the past few days; it's good to finally relax a little."

I kept quiet as Andy nodded "Very well. We're fine for supplies with our little run yesterday, so there's no need to venture out unless necessary. Of course if you feel like some target practice or getting some fresh air then you're quite welcome to borrow some ammo and everything."

"Thanks, but I think a day without those zombies is very much appreciated!" Amy giggled.

Andy rose from his seat, stretching "Whatever. Well, I'm going to go work on the car. I think running over that one zombie yesterday did a little damage to the underneath, but I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed." He shot Amy a toothy grin, and I saw her twitch a little.

I assumed she must be comparing him to Faker…

"Remember," He glared. Boy, this guy has mood swings. "Don't go snooping around."

After he left, I made sure he was well out of earshot before turning my full attention to Rose.

"Rose…we need to make a plan, and fast. I found something in a secret basement in the garage. We're in danger."

Her eyes widened, "What? What did you see?"

"Not here," I put my finger to her lips to silence her "We'll talk about this in the bedroom, away from any eavesdroppers…"

Grabbing her hand, we stood from the table and made our way over to the stairs.

However, I stopped short, causing Amy to bump into me, "What is it?"

I kept quiet, staring at the very tiny droplets of blood on the floor, right in front of a door.

Amy followed my gaze and she gasped "Shadow! Is that…"

"Yes." I nodded, and slowly approached the door. "Keep behind me, watch out for Andy."

Grabbing hold of the door handle, I twisted it, not surprised to find that it was locked.

"Amy, I'm going to smash the door down. I need you to create a noise to disguise it. Something loud, but nothing that would sound suspicious."

"…Like what, Shadow?"

I nodded over to the kitchen area "Knock one of the dining chairs over, that should clatter loud enough to cover me. But you _must _time it right, got it?"

"Got it," she replied, and walked over to one of the chairs. I could tell she was growing in confidence, as a few days ago she would have hesitated at such a request. Once she was in position, I positioned myself to break the door down.

"On three. One…two…three." I rammed my shoulder hard into the door at the same time Amy toppled one of the chairs over onto the tiled kitchen floor.

"Rose…you're so clumsy." I said a little louder than necessary, in case Andy could hear, just to cover us a little more. She wore a smirk, just as I did.

"Oops…sorry Shadow." She replied, picking up the chair and heading back over to me.

"Well done," I kissed her forehead "That was perfect."

She giggled, and gestured to the empty space before us. "Well…go on."

Turning my attention back, the door lead to a proper basement, which was pitch black and also emitted a stench of rotting bodies, exactly the same as the one earlier. I hoped there was nothing too gruesome down here, considering Rose wasn't likely to have such a strong stomach as I.

"Come on," I started down the stairs, feeling for a light switch on my way, but to no avail.

"Shadow…I have a bad feeling. This smell is awful!"

"I know…don't worry, Rose, I'm here."

I did my best to comfort her as we reached the bottom. My eyes made out a strange shape as they adjusted to the darkness. It looked like…

…_Like a person…_

"Keep your distance, Amy!" I warned, bracing myself for whatever was to come.

"Shadow, I found a light switch!" The room was suddenly flooded with light, and Amy let out a shriek.

She came back over to me, where we both stood in complete shock.

Everything made sense now.

Why the bodies were being chopped up.

Why Andy was being so secretive and hostile.

Why he didn't want us snooping around the house.

And why that awful smell was present.

_That sick bastard…_

"Shadow…I feel sick."

I couldn't reply as I was trying to make sense of the situation.

"Who…who _is _that?" She gagged, utterly disgusted.

"I don't know…but we have to get out of here as soon as possible. I _knew _this guy was bad news…"

There, chained to the wall with thick, metal shackles, was not a human…

…_But a young undead girl._

She stared at us with vacant eyes, jaws snapping, _dying _to get her hands on our flesh. She looked about a couple of years younger than us.

"Is Andy…keeping her…as some kind of pet?" Amy questioned me, not able to take her eyes off the gruesome being.

"Not exactly…"

Our heads both snapped to the basement door, where to my horror, Andy stood with a sick grin on his face. He slowly walked down to us.

"She's not my pet. Far from it actually, she's my baby sister."

Andy carelessly walked past us and over to the undead girl where he gently caressed her hair, paying no attention to her growls.

"Isn't she beautiful? She looks just like she did before…well…"

"Before she turned?" I glared "Andy…this is sick. I knew you were shifty right from the very start, but I never would have suspected _this_."

Andy just laughed "You should expect the unexpected in this world. Enough of that though," his expression suddenly turned murderous "_Why _were you snooping when I clearly told you not to. Now I'll have to speed up my plan, and I didn't want that."

"Plan?" Rose piped up "What plan?"

"You and Shadow weren't brought here to be saved; you were brought to be fed to my sister. It's been so long since she's had fresh meat…it's about time she was treated to a decent meal, too."

Amy gasped, "So you led us to believe you were actually doing us a favour when in actual fact we walked straight into your sick plan."

"Exactly," Andy turned his attention from the zombie and rested it solely on us. "And I'm quite impressed on how it turned out. Extra supplies _and _fresh zombie food."

"And the antipyretics? What were they for?" I demanded.

"They were in the hopes of reversing the zombification process. I've been experimenting ways to bring the living back from when they turn, but so far I've achieved nothing. Everyone knows about the fever you get as you turn, so I had hoped that feeding her those pills would reverse the process back at least a little. Still, nothing."

"She's fully zombified, Andy…I'm afraid there's no turning back once transformation is complete." Amy tried to reason with him, voice calm. I guess she still believed she was talking to someone like Sonic.

But this guy was _nothing _like Sonic.

"How did you know we were here?"

"Amy…" Andy grinned "You're cute, but you shouldn't ever underestimate me. Shadow here didn't put the car back when he finished snooping 'round my house. He found my workshop underneath the garage, that I hid beneath the car."

Oh _shit._

My eyes widened. I was so intent on getting to breakfast before Andy started to get suspicious that I forgot to move the car back to cover the entrance.

I'm the Ultimate Lifeform…such mistakes should not be made, let alone _any _mistakes.

Still, Andy's plan was revealed. All that mattered now was defeating him and getting the hell out of here.

Alive.

"What's this hidden workshop?"

Andy rolled his eyes at Rose's question, "Ames, enough with the questions already."

"_STOP CALLING HER THAT!"_ I snarled, "You have no right to call her that, now answer the damn question before I rip your head straight off your shoulders."

My patience was wearing thin with this guy, and Amy flinched at my harsh tone.

"Who are you to tell me what to do! You're going to be zombie food in a matter of minutes, Shadow. And Amy here…well, if she's not fed to my sister, I'm sure I'll find another use for her." Andy winked at my companion, who glared in return.

"You may _look _like Sonic, but you'll never be like him." Tears fell from her eyes at thinking about the Faker, but her steely glare never faltered.

"The bodies were for food, idiot." Andy sighed, "Now, are you going to give up and submit to me or do I have to take you down with force?"

"Do we really look like the kind of people to sit back and take a beating?" I smirked, getting into a defensive position.

"Good," There was a strange glint in Andy's eyes. He looked almost insane… "It's more fun when they fight back. I _love _watching them struggle."

Andy's zombified sister snarled at us, frustrated with the fact a live meal was within metres from her, yet she could not reach it.

The clanking of the chains and her moans were ignored though, as Andy and I readied ourselves for a fight.

"Amy, I want you to keep back. Let me handle this."

Said girl huffed with frustration, but never replied.

This fight will result in one thing,

Either Amy and I will live to see another day...

...Or we'll be fed to Andy's pet zombie, and our story will be over forever...

* * *

><p>Wow...so how many of you were expecting THAT huh? :D<p>

What do you think will become of Shadow, Amy and Andy? Who do you think will win?

I'm looking forward to your thoughts!

And yes...I got the inspiration for this from The Walking Dead..I love that show!

Oh, and just a quick question for you guys - What's your favourite Sonic character and why? (Just thought I'd get to know my fans a little more :D)

There's also a poll on my profile page, I would appareciate a quick vote if you have time :)

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2014 bring you happiness.

Love,

CP x


	15. Raging Flames

And what do we have here...AN UPDATE! YAY! :D Now, I seem to have a lot of time on my hands lately, so I hope to update quicker! And thank you all for not giving up!

Now...you'll all get to find out what happens to Andy! Some of you got it spot on too - well done! And thanks to Aliciathewolf45 for her advice! You rock girl! Also, I recommend checking out her fics, she's quite the talented writer, and a fan of ShadAmy too!

**REVIEW REPLIES:**

**shadowhhawsomest -**I love ShadAmy too! :D Thank you so much!

**AngelicCocoWolf -** There may be a part in the future where I could use OC's and if there is, I shall let you know!

**Mysteryman101 -** Thanks for your kind words, I love how postive your reviews are! ^_^ And as for being as kiss ass, I don't think you are at all :) Your compliments really make my day, so thank you! And of course if you ever want help with any of your fics I'd be glad to assist!

**brandy -**You're very welcome! Oh, Amy is your fave huh? Yeah, I like her too! She can be quite funny xD

**AwesomeNumber0 -** You're very right, that would make him harder to kill lol! But that's a good question and I don't think that Sonic will still keep those abilities. Though it would make for an interesting fight...hmmm...

**LaDeadSh0t**** -**...Awww...that is incredibly sweet of you, thank you so much for your support! *Returns hug* and thanks for the hug too! :D

**The Reader -**All of your questions will be answered right here, right now ;) Thanks very much!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Amy's POV<strong>

I couldn't believe it.

Andy…

He seemed like such a nice guy…exactly like Sonic.

But to think he was hiding _this _from us and we never even knew.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Andy's sister. He must have had a special bond with her to be able to do something as gruesome as this. Surely he would have wanted to put her out of her misery…to remember her as she was before she turned.

Yet here she was shackled to the wall, perfectly dressed as though she wasn't even one of the undead.

Andy suddenly darted forward with a raised fist aimed for Shadow's face. Shadow however, just smirked and blocked it with his arm.

"If you're going to fight like that then you might as well quit now."

Shadow gave him a hard kick to the stomach and Andy was sent tumbling backwards to the floor. Faster than I realised, he leapt up and charged at Shadow, ramming him into the wall behind us.

Gasping, I watched with wide eyes as Shadow was unprepared for Andy's strength and struggled to push him off. The Sonic look-alike wasted no time at lacing into my companion with heavy punches.

Screaming at him to get off, I leapt onto Andy's back in an attempt to break them up and help Shadow free.

Not in the least bit distracted, Andy suddenly threw his head back and head-butted me in the face and, taking advantage of my momentary loss of grip, he jerked backwards and threw me off.

Shadow pushed him away with almighty strength as I whimpered from the pain and wiped away a trail of blood from my forehead. That really _hurt._

Grabbing his neck, Shadow slammed Andy into the wall and glanced back at me with a stern gaze "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I nodded and forced a smile "Just a little headache is all."

All the while, Andy's sister was growing increasingly frustrated at the knowledge of a delicious meal right in front of her, but with no way to get at it. She writhed around in her chains and snapped her jaws, eyes blazing with hunger. I shivered at the sight and wondered whether to put the poor girl out of her misery once and for all.

Andy writhed around in Shadow's grip, struggling to breathe. However, taking advantage of Shadow's momentary distraction, he clawed at Shadow's hands and kicked his feet, one of them luckily coming into contact with his stomach with such force that Shadow was forced to drop the other hedgehog with a grimace.

Quicker than lightning, Andy wrestled Shadow to the ground in an attempt to get the upper hand. My companion grabbed his hands and used as much upper body strength as he could to push him off.

"Amy…" He growled out "Fetch my gun…in the bedroom!"

Eyes wide, I suddenly darted for the door, only to hear Shadow gasp out in pain and a body leap on top of mine, knocking me to the floor.

"Don't even think about it, _Amy._" Andy seethed, grabbing my arms from behind me and hauling me up to a standing position.

"Ouch! Get off, you jackass!" I struggled to escape his grip. _Damn_, this guy was strong!

Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shadow nursing what seemed like a stab wound on his left side. There wasn't too much blood so it didn't look too deep. Still, he looked to be in a lot of pain.

I was suddenly distracted by a vile odour and, turning my head back in front of me, cried out with surprise at seeing Andy's sister mere millimetres away from me.

Screaming, I did all I could to push my body weight backwards, ignoring the searing pain in my arms and hoped that I could somehow knock Andy down.

Andy just smirked and addressed Shadow

"I hope you'll enjoy watching as your pathetic girlfriend is enjoyed for lunch, Shadow. I'll certainly take pleasure at hearing her scream…and seeing your face contort in anger upon watching."

"You…sadistic bastard!" Shadow yelled and suddenly dived forward, wrapping an arm around Andy's neck and wrenching him backwards, all of us landing in a heap on the floor.

Managing to escape his grasp, I got to my feet and watched as Shadow pinned Andy to the floor, hands wrapped firmly around his neck, all the while his sister was getting agitated with each passing moment.

All I could do was wait for the outcome of the battle. I was definitely sure Shadow would have the victory…he _was _the Ultimate Lifeform after all. Andy was just a wannabe…a _crazy _wannabe.

Andy suddenly manoeuvred his foot and kicked Shadow off himself, getting to his feet as quickly as he could. He desperately gasped for breath, as if he'd been held underwater.

Seeing my chance, I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Fist tightly balled, punched him as hard as I could. He gave a grunt of pain and glared at me with annoyance. Shadow appeared behind him and grabbed his arm, swinging him to the floor.

Giving him a few swift kicks to his torso, the Ultimate Lifeform then grabbed his shirt and forced him to stand.

Unexpectedly, he shoved him against the zombified girl shackled to the wall and held him there.

I covered my ears upon hearing Andy's screams of pain. His sister bit right through his neck and began chewing on his flesh while Andy thrashed about in Shadow's grip.

"Shadow, stop!" I cried out, unable to stand the ghastly sight. He just fed Andy to his own sister…

Once he was sure Andy wouldn't lash out, he let go and made his way to me, bringing me into a tight hug.

I tightly wrapped my arms around him, listening to the gruesome sound of tearing flesh and dripping blood…amongst Andy's screams and the rattling of the chains.

"Shadow…can we go now…" I shivered in his arms.

"Of course. I'm sorry you had to see that, Rose. I truly am." Shadow steered me out of the room, and locked the door behind us.

"So what now? Are we going to live here?"

Before Shadow had time to reply, a loud, pained scream echoed throughout the house.

…Andy…

I grimaced at the sound, and Shadow put his arm around me for comfort.

"How can you stand there knowing that he's being ripped to shreds and _eaten?_" I whispered, clinging to him.

Shadow closed his eyes "He deserves what he gets. It could have been us down there, Rose, and I wasn't about to let that happen."

The screams abruptly stopped. They didn't even die down…just stopped altogether. I wasn't quite sure if that was good or bad…

"As for what we do next…I'm not sure. I don't know where else to look for a Chaos Emerald."

We stood embracing each other for what felt like hours. I felt perfectly safe in his arms, listening to his calm breathing, feeling his heart beat, making me happy that he was alive.

A few tears slid down my cheeks at the thought of Andy. It was such a shame that this situation had turned him into a complete psychopath. He obviously cared for his sister an awful lot to not even want to kill her.

But it was kind of sick how he didn't even put her out of her misery…instead left her to turn, left her at the mercy of the infection, only to shackle her to the wall and continue as normal.

I wondered what would have happened if Sonic were here. I wonder if Shadow and I would have explored these feelings…or if I would still have been pining over my blue hero.

Startled from my thoughts, I jumped upon hearing a strange banging noise on the basement door. I turned to look at it and shivered a little when I heard low growls. A shadow appeared which I saw underneath the door through the crack. The banging turned to scratches and my eyes widened.

_It was Andy…he was a zombie!_

"Shadow…" I looked up at him in fear "Shadow if we're staying here can we please do something about…"

Shadow sighed and released me "Of course. This is a good a place as any for our home base for a while. During which I'll figure out a plan to track a chaos emerald and see if we can get in contact with any other survivors."

Nodding in reply, I watched as Shadow took one of the long carving knives from on top of the kitchen counter. He walked calmly to the door and paused before looking at me.

"It's going to be okay, Amy." His eyes were sincere and his voice was calm…serene…my nerves calmed down instantly.

Without warning, he slammed the door open and Andy's now zombified body went tumbling down the stairs. I couldn't help but panic at the sounds, so I decided to watch from the top of the stairs.

Shadow wrestled with the zombie, who was covered in blood. A large chunk of flesh was missing from its neck, assumingly what his sister did…

I flinched at the thought.

Andy's sister, still restrained, had fresh bits of flesh strewn across her face from the last meal she enjoyed – her brother. The wall next to her was dripping with blood. Even the floor was smeared where I assumed Andy had stumbled around when he was reanimated.

"Damn," My attention was drawn to Shadow, who was holding Andy's neck and doing his hardest to push him back "This guy is strong for a corpse!"

"Shadow…please be careful…"

Said hedgehog just smirked at me and, using all his strength, slammed Andy against the wall.

And unfortunately, the circuit breaker too…

The device crackled as it was destroyed; a couple of sparks flying out here and there like some kind of light show.

I screamed as the house went completely dark. I couldn't even make out any shapes. All I could hear were Andy and his sister snarling, as well as Shadow's grunts and the rattling of chains.

It terrified me. One of the most important senses for survival had been taken away…I just hoped Shadow would be okay down there.

"Shadow…" I called out, a little nervous "D-Do you need help?"

"No," Came the harsh reply "Stay there and _do not _move."

Moments later, I heard the ripping of flesh – a strange squelching sound it was, accompanied by something hitting the floor with a thud.

Footsteps were what I heard next …and the same sounds afterwards.

More footsteps…heading towards…ME!

"Shadow…SHADOW!" I screamed out, panic flooding my veins and making me breathe quicker. It felt like I was having a panic attack.

I prepared myself for what might happen – an attack maybe? Was I going to be bitten?

Taken by surprised, I felt myself being roughly pushed backwards, but a hand on my arm kept me from falling.

"Shadow, help me!" I flailed about, trying desperately to free myself. It was only when I noticed there was no snarling, no putrid smell or no force, that it was Shadow in front of me. I felt so much safer at that moment, and automatically relaxed.

I heard the click of the door lock and Shadow embraced me yet again. "There…it's done. Those two are dead and now it's just us. We need to find something to give off light, torches, candles, lanterns, matches, anything! After that we need to make sure the building is secure, okay?"

"Yeah….are you okay?"

"I'm fine. A little battered, but I'm fine. You keep forgetting I'm the Ultimate Lifeform."

With that, Shadow's warmth left me and the sound of rummaging met my ears.

"Get looking…" Came the command, and I headed over to the kitchen drawers, where Shadow was. Opening one, I felt around for anything that we could use. This would be considerably easier if I was able to see…

My hand suddenly landed upon something round and cold…and metal! I tapped the end and sure enough, it was glass!

Picking it up, I flicked the switch and let out a startled scream as the light illuminated a tall, dark figure, with fearsome blood-red eyes…staring at me.

"Shadow!" I grinned, "I found it.."

"…I can see that," He rolled his eyes and pointed the light away from him and into the drawer. "There are also candles in here. It must be a utility drawer. Handy…"

Shadow picked out about six candles and a box of matches and closed the drawer. "Right, now we need to secure the area." Taking a match, he struck the side of the box and a little flame was brought to life, flickering in the darkness. It was like a tiny flame of hope in a dark world…very small, but there nonetheless. The thought made me smile.

Lighting the candle, Shadow handed it to me and took the torch "Wait here."

And with that, he left me, with only a candle for company.

As his footsteps grew quieter, my anxiety grew more and more. The silence was deafening…it was eerie…and I found myself actually wanting to hear something.

What though, I didn't know. Sonic's voice? The laughter of my friends? My heart felt heavy as I thought about everyone…how much they must have suffered. Honestly, I'm not sure how much longer _I _can last…

I watched as the flame of the candle flickered in the darkness. A tiny droplet of wax dribbled down the side, almost like a teardrop would slide down someone's face.

The clanging of metal suddenly startled me and I jumped, almost dropping the candle in my hand. "Sh-Shadow…?"

Seconds later I saw the light of the torch again, much to my relief. Shadow made his way back into the kitchen and placed a very heavy-looking, navy blue metal toolbox on the kitchen counter next to me.

"What's all that for?" I frowned, watching as he took out a screwdriver and various other equipment.

"For taking apart the table. If we're going to live here for the time being then we need to make this place impenetrable. All doors and ground floor windows need reinforcing. Use anything at all that offers at least moderate protection." Shadow began taking the legs off the table effortlessly, until one giant rectangle of wood was left. Using a saw, he chopped it in half and pulled out about two dozen nails from the tool box.

"This should just about do for the living room window. I'll hold it in place while you hammer these in, twelve nails for each piece, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded and took the nails, as well as a hammer. Shadow carried the pieces over to the window and held them in place with one hand as I got to work. He aimed the torch where I would need to see, and other than my commands of "Higher", "Lower" and "Keep still" it was completely silent.

I was beginning to hate silence now.

Once the window was boarded with a slight crack to peer through, Shadow gave me the torch. "Point it at the door."

Sighing, I did as I was told and watched as he moved the couch in front of it, making sure that we were safely locked inside.

"We'll get rid of the bodies tomorrow, for now we need to eat." Shadow once again disappeared to the kitchen, leaving me with nothing but the glow of the candlelight for company. He sure was acting…strange. But why? I frowned, trying to think of some kind of explanation. Maybe he was stressed? Or panicking? Angry perhaps? Whatever it was, I knew he wouldn't speak to me about it. Shadow just wasn't that kind of person.

* * *

><p>About half an hour later, the living room was illuminated with candlelight. Shadow and I sat in silence on the two-seater couch, eating a bowl of pasta. He had retrieved his rifle from upstairs and gave me another sharp carving knife from the kitchen, seeing as he left the other one down with…Andy.<p>

We had about one full clip of ammo and I knew Shadow would use it sparingly. Now that we had food and provisions, we just needed decent weapons and more ammo. Where we would find the latter, I didn't know.

As a matter of fact, I didn't even know where we would find a chaos emerald now.

"Hey, Shadow…what…what exactly are we doing? What about the chaos emerald? What's our goal?"

Silence greeted me for a few minutes before he replied, "Survival. Survival is our only goal. I thought for sure the GUN base would contain an emerald, but you know what happened with that…."

He paused, and let out a deep sigh "I fully expected us to be on the ARK now, figuring out a new plan to save humankind before it's too late. There's another base that GUN has, it's a secondary base, on reserve only if something happens to the main one. There's a slight possibility that an emerald could be there…but frankly it's only a small chance and the base is days away from here."

Putting my bowl of pasta down, I stood up and faced Shadow, hands on my hips and fuelled with determination. Just like Sonic would be.

"Shadow the Hedgehog! You're so pessimistic! If there's even a tiny shred of hope you should cling to it. If there's even a small chance there's an emerald there we should _take it!_ Because it's better than nothing and right now it's all we have!"

Shadow simply stared at me "…I think this is why I like you…"

"…What?" I gave him a clueless look.

"That attitude. Your ability to hold on to the tiniest shred of hope. The will to keep hoping in a hopeless situation. You and I are opposites…it still confuses me why I feel like this."

My eyes softened at his words "I know…and you know I'll always-"

I was abruptly cut off by Shadow leaping over to me and slapping his palm over my mouth "Shut up…" He whispered, kind of harshly if you asked me…

"Quick, blow out the candles!" He hissed, and I wasted no time in eliminating the tiny flames that illuminated the room. We were instantaneously plunged into darkness.

Shadow stood at the window, peering out of the crack between the boards. My ears picked up a faint humming sound and I walked over to him, curiously.

"What is it?" I whispered, shivering a little. It was very creepy without light.

"There's a group…of them…" He whispered back, not taking his eyes from the window.

Frowning, I peered out, only to jump as I was greeted with a face. Well, half a face…this zombie had most of its facial flesh missing - the bone was clearly present. Shadow put one hand on my shoulder and another clapped on my mouth, just in case.

We both stood watching, unable to avert our gaze. The only thing separating us was a piece of glass and a couple wooden boards. The thought made me worry a little.

The zombie just stared at the window, looking right at us. Now I understand why Shadow was so abrupt…if the candles were still lit then the zombie would have seen us clearly.

The rest of the undead group shuffled aimlessly down the empty road, searching for food. I mentally thanked chaos that we were in here and not out there.

I was suddenly startled by the zombie banging its head against the glass and I tensed, hoping that the glass wouldn't break. A low groaning sound emitted from the being and it snapped its jaws, before turning around and stumbling out of the garden to join the group once again.

Once the group was further down the road, Shadow relinquished his hold on me and I couldn't help but notice the light streaks of blood on the window where the zombie head-butted it.

"Finish your food and go to bed," Shadow re-lit some of the candles and sat back down to eat.

Sighing, I sat next to him and did the same "What's wrong with you?"

He frowned at me "Nothing. Why?"

"Because you're acting…weird. It's like you're hot and cold."

"…I'm just tired is all."

We finished our food in silence and I put both our bowls in the kitchen. Shadow made sure the front door was secure and gave me two candles. "Go on upstairs to bed. I'll stay down here just in case."

"But Shadow…you need to rest too."

"I will, don't worry yourself." He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to my forehead.

We suddenly sprang apart as a strange crackling noise came from the basement. I stared wide-eyed at the door.

"Shadow…what was that?"

"I don't know. Andy and his sister are dead, so don't worry. We'll check it out in the morning, the door is locked. We're safe."

Sighing, I bid him goodnight and made my way up the stairs and to the bedroom that Andy gave us. I wasn't entirely sure what was _really _wrong with Shadow, but I hoped he would be better in the morning.

The thought of not knowing what to anticipate frightened me a lot. Would I make it out alive? Would I die at the hands of an undead being? Would I…would I be killed by someone else? Shadow maybe?

No…he can be mean, but I'm sure he wouldn't _actually _kill me. Just threaten to.

Despite this, there was nothing stopping him leaving me in the midst of this apocalypse...at least, if he really didn't care.

I stood the candles carefully on the bedside table and fell backwards onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. There were so many questions whirring about my head that even thinking was giving me a headache. Oh, what I wouldn't give for this entire mess to be over and for everything to return to normal…

* * *

><p>My eyes suddenly snapped open. The glow of the candles was significantly dimmer and my body was still in the same position as before.<p>

I must have fallen asleep.

Letting out a yawn, I sat up on the bed, only to cough violently. The air around me seemed to be very…thick.

My eyes widened.

_It was smoke._

Now I knew why the room seemed significantly darker. Bolting to the door, I wrenched it open, only to erupt into a massive coughing fit from the thick, grey smoke that bellowed inside the room.

"Shadow!" I coughed, and shut the door once again.

Oh no…._the house was on fire!_

I had to get out - and fast!

Rushing to the window, I peered outside to check if there were any zombies lurking around. Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything at all. I had no idea what time it actually was, but it was obviously still night time.

Grabbing the handle of the window, I tried to lift it up…but to no avail.

"Come…on…" I strained, gritting my teeth and pulling the handle as hard as I could. Still, the window would not budge.

Growling in frustration, I took the lamp from the bedside table and, with as much force as I could muster, smashed it into the window, watching as shards of glass trickled everywhere.

The smoke immediately drifted out of the window and I could see the flames leaking through the downstairs window beneath me. Oh dear…

Taking a deep breath, and coughing a little consequently, I hooked one leg over the ledge of the window, holding tightly onto the frame as I did so. Looks like I'd have to jump…

Shaking a little I then lifted my other leg over so I was sat on the ledge. I stared down into the darkness and, taking a shaky breath, began to lower my body down…

…only to freeze as I heard moans…

"OH NO!" I yelped, pulling myself back up. Looking down, I could vaguely make out shapes moving in the smoky darkness. I hoped Shadow knew of this, because there was no way I could tell him.

"_AMY!" _

My head snapped to the door and I climbed back off the ledge and back into the room. "Shadow!" I cried out, and flung open the door again.

I was immediately engulfed in smoke, consequently resulting in another coughing fit. I clapped my hand over my nose and mouth in an attempt to inhale as little of the carbon monoxide-infested air as possible.

Squinting, I ran as best as I could to the stairs as the smoke hung around me. I could barely see in front of me and I prayed to chaos that there were no zombies in the building.

Shadow…please…I need you…where are you?!

I descended the stairs as best as I could, noticing that the smoke was getting considerably thicker as I did so.

"Shadow!" I yelled, coughing as I did so. I dashed to the kitchen, only to be greeted with roaring flames that lapped at everything they could. Pretty much the whole of the kitchen looked destroyed and I could vaguely hear a creaking noise.

If I didn't get out of here, I'd be trapped for sure. It sounded like the house was falling apart!

I made my way to the front door and saw that the couch that was once blocking it had moved. The door was wide open…

…and zombies were heading straight for the house!

Panicking, I headed into the living room and prayed that Shadow would come in and help me…or I'd at least see something that could help me defend myself.

However…what I _did _see was not a weapon, nor was it the black and red hedgehog I've been tagging along with.

_It was a group of zombies!_

Eyes wide, I let out a scream and raced out of the living room, hearing the moans and thudding of feet following me.

"SHADOW!" I screamed desperately. I had no means of defence and my path was blocked undead beings who wanted nothing more than to feast on my flesh.

Seeing no choice but to return to the bedroom, I raced up the stairs, though I didn't make it far as my foot went straight through one of the steps, resulting in the rest of the stairs above it to collapse. The fire immediately ravaged the wood. I was lucky I was only on the third step.

Glancing behind me, about four flaming figures stumbles towards me and the closer they got, the more I could smell the disgusting burning of flesh. I could even see charred skin as they walked through the fire and both the sight and smell made me feel sick to my stomach.

One thing is for sure…I was definitely going to die.

I turned my attention back to my foot, which luckily didn't seem to be broken. Hearing the growls grow ever closer, I did my best to free my trapped foot as fast as I could.

Though suddenly, the sound of gunshots startled me and I snapped my head to the door. One by one the four zombies fell to the floor, the fire spreading ever closer to me. Another figure grabbed hold of my arm and I yelled out, ignoring my foot and trying to push the thing away.

"Amy, calm down, it's me goddamn it!" Shadow growled, and I felt a hand on my ankle. He pulled my foot free and, shooting a last zombie obstructing the doorway, grabbed my hand and we sprinted outside.

Just in time to see half the house implode.

I watched, slack-jawed, as half of the incandescent building collapsed, making the flames roar even higher.

Panting, I pushed myself to keep up with Shadow's fast pace, wanting to ask so many questions but not even daring to speak. I noticed he had the torch, a small bag of necessities and his gun with him too, though how he had time to grab them I have no idea. It was yet another question on my mind.

It was still pitch black outside and if it weren't for the gleam of the torch, I wouldn't have the slightest clue where we were going. It was incredibly dangerous to be out in the darkness like this, especially with what few bullets we had now. I was very unsure we'd even make it through the night. We had no car, very little means of self defence and only the bare necessities to keep us alive.

I had lost count of how much time had passed as we walked down the open road. All was quiet…and honestly, the silence was scarier than any noise. Shadow had given me the bag of goodies while he kept a tight grip on his gun and the torch. The only words spoken were when he warned me to stick close to him. No other words were exchanged and I was getting tired of this lack of communication.

I was tired, aching, scared, hungry and above all, frustrated. I wasn't sure how much longer I would last and if I wasn't eaten by a zombie or killed by Shadow, I was sure I'd go insane from this whole situation.

Shadow suddenly strayed from the road and towards a large wood, full of trees. I reluctantly followed him seeing as he hadn't said otherwise.

"Shadow…" I whispered, voice meek "Why are we going in there?"

"Shelter," He replies simply, glancing at me.

"But won't it be dangerous?"

"It's better than wasting all our energy walking. It's still night time if you haven't noticed and it's important we keep resting. I'm here, I won't let anything happen. I'm the Ultimate Lifeform – my senses are far more sensitive than yours."

Sighing, I rolled my eyes and continued to follow him. Instead of going deep into the woods, he sat the bag down next to a tree that was actually on the outermost of the woods. "We'll rest here. The trees will provide cover as long as we're completely silent and I'll keep an eye out for danger. In the morning we'll see if we can forage some food and water."

Shadow sat on the grass, his back leaning against the tree. He opened his arms for me and I sat next to him, laying my head on his chest. Once he wrapped his arms around me, I felt safe…like nothing at all could touch me. He kept one hand rested on the gun, just in case.

"Get some sleep; I'll wake you up if there are any problems." He whispered.

We sat in complete silence, the beam of the torch having been extinguished to avoid attracting attention. On the horizon I could clearly see the house which was being ravaged by fire as we rested here, the bright orange flames igniting the night sky with such a brilliant glow.

My entire body was completely tense, ready to spring into action at a moments' notice. All I could hear was mine and Shadow's calm breathing, the crickets chirping and the snapping of twigs in the woods, which sent shivers down my spine and shook my entire being. It was either an animal or a zombie causing that sound…and frankly I wasn't sure I wanted to know which one.

Surprisingly though, I fell asleep with little to no effort at all, wondering if this was the last time I'd ever see the night sky.

* * *

><p>Don't you just LOVE drama? XD<p>

So what did you guys think? ;D

**What is your favourite Sonic game and why? **I like quite a few actually, but my top three are probably Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Chronicles.

Your feedback is very much appreciated! And also, if any of you need any advice or guidance about writing fics/grammar etc etc then I will only be too pleased to help!

Much Love,

CP


	16. Survivors

Ooh...what's this? THE NEXT CHAPTER! YAY! I am deeply sorry for the lateness of this chapter...for those who were unaware and did not see my AN (which I have now deleted. I hate random AN's in the middle of stories...) I am battling depression, anxiety and OCD. Tough...very tough...but lately the writing muse has struck me and I completed this chapter within two days. WOOOH! Thank you all so much for your support. It means the world to me, truly.

**Review Replies: (Seriously, if i miss anyone out, just drop me a PM. I don't bite, and I love to make new friends!)**

**Shadowhh - **Thank you so much for your support. (And your review!) YAY! I'm glad you like the story so much. Also, to answer your question, this story is far from over :) I have much planned... ;D Lastly, I have thought about creating a comic for this. However...I cannot draw...and I don't know anyone who can :/

**Sonamyshad88 - **Thank you so much for your review! As for bringing Sonic back...that's secret...you'll have to read and find out ;)

**Brandy - **You're welcome hun! Thanks for your lovely reviews! I have a question for you now - what inspired your name there? :)

**To the guest who asked me about the torch - **I'm British, so what we call torches, America calls "flashlights" (Y'know, the round, hand-held thing that gives out a light beam, NOT the flaming stick you hold XD). Hope that helps!

**THE OC'S FOR THIS CHAPTER - PLEASE READ!**

As you are aware I left a request for OC's for this chapter (and upcoming ones). Below are those that I have picked (and it was VERY tough. There are some excellent character creations!) thus far and whom they belong to. All backstories, weapons etc are entirely created by the author who the character belongs to. I apologise if I have not used your OC, however, they may appear in future chapters, so please don't be disheartened :)

**Alicia the Wolf - Aliciathewolf45**

**Aero the Hedgehog - BiteMe21**

**Ariel the Hedgehog - Ariel the hedgehog1**

**OneWhosNotNamed - Amaterasu Tukiko (You mentioned you have an account? If you wish to remain anonymous that's perfectly fine. Though if you need to contact me via PM please note I will not mention your account name to the public if you so wish)**

**Reave - HTKWolfe777**

And now...FOR THE DRAMA! (I just hope I've written the OC's right...eh heh ^^')

* * *

><p>The next morning I awoke to the birds chirping away. My eyes were greeted by a greying sky and I hoped it wouldn't rain. The tops of the trees swayed gently with the morning breeze and I only wished I knew what time it was.<p>

"Good morning, Shadow!" I yawned, sitting myself up and stretching. However, when I received no reply, I began to worry.

"Shadow?" I looked around me, seeing no signs of any life, zombified or otherwise. Which also meant…no Shadow.

Oh dear.

I rose to my feet, rubbing my eyes and peering from around the tree.

"Shadow…" I made sure to keep my voice quiet, just in case. "Damn it, Shadow, where are you."

Carefully, I inched my way out from behind the tree, eyes darting everywhere and my guard fully up. I walked slowly forward, looking everywhere for Shadow…but he was not here.

"Rose?"

Hearing my name, and also some twigs snap, I whipped around, startled.

Shadow raised his eyebrow at me "Is everything alright? You shouldn't wander alone around here."

"Yeah well you shouldn't have left me then!" I huffed, crossing my arms.

Shadow rolled his eyes "I didn't go far, relax. I would have heard if anything were to creep by…like you were trying to do."

I let out a deep sigh "I'm just glad you're okay. I thought you left me!"

My companion chuckled, "I did, to go find food. All I could find were berries…all the animals seem to have scattered and we don't have time to set traps. These will have to do for breakfast and save the other stuff for later."

He gave me a handful of blackberries and I began to munch on them. "So what's the plan now?"

Shadow heaved a sigh and started to eat the other half of the berries himself "I honestly don't know…"

We stayed silent until we'd finished eating. Not one sound reached our ears still. "Do you think we should set up camp here? It seems to be safe?"

"No…with the little supplies we have and no proper protection we'd be dead after a few encounters with _them_. Not to mention the nearest town seems miles away…you know what that means don't you?"

I blinked "What?"

"We have to keep going…on foot. We can't sit around and wait for…chaos knows what, Rose." Shadow replied, his tone gentle, and placed a kiss on my temple. "You don't have to worry…I'll protect you. But you must do exactly what I tell you."

I wasn't sure about this plan at all. The thought of being with no proper shelter and no defense scared me half to death. Though I suppose Shadow was right…we had more of a chance on the road, that way we might be able to outrun any of the undead.

"…Okay…fine."

Shadow led me back to the edge of the woods and after ensuring we had everything, we started our long journey to…well…I wasn't really sure where. The thought alone made me edgy. Would we run into a horde of undead? Would we find more supplies?

…Would we even make it alive?

Shadow gently took my right hand and intertwined our fingers. The sun was blocked by a vicious-looking rain cloud, which I knew would end up soaking us to the bone eventually. Without the sun, it made the mood even more miserable.

With the little provisions we had, I knew it was essential that we find more, lest we barely survive the week. The mission to find a chaos emerald seemed to be on hold now – all that mattered was survival.

I could tell Shadow was getting increasingly frustrated with everything that was happening and it worried me greatly. I squeezed his hand slightly, as if to reassure him that all would be okay and that I would support him as much as I could. However, he didn't so much as glance at me…I can't deny it hurt.

"…Shadow…" I whispered with a frown "Shadow, please…"

All of a sudden, my companion pulled me to him and kissed me hard. With wide eyes, I tensed in his grip, having not expected that at all. Before I had time to respond, he pulled away and looked at me with a stern expression.

"Amy, I will not allow any danger to come to you. You trust me, right?"

"…Right..." I gulped.

"So understand that I will do everything in my power to make sure we are safe. Though…if Faker was here it would be a hell of a lot easier to get my hands on a damn chaos emerald…" He growled, holding me close. I had to admit…his little outburst of emotion reassured me a little.

After a few moments of embracing each other, Shadow calmly let me go and took my hand again as we continued along the road. My face blushed red from the sudden kiss, but I found that I liked it. Very much.

I knew he'd keep me safe. Or at least try...

* * *

><p>Minutes turned into hours as we walked along in each others' company, stopping every two hours for a rest and a sip of water. Shadow was adamant we ration our supplies and I wholly agreed. My stomach seemed to be getting used to little food now and no longer grumbled every few seconds. Despite this, I was sure that if a giant meal was placed in front of me that I would eat it all no problem.<p>

About an hour ago (At least, I thought it was...I was losing all track of time.) it had started to rain heavily and Shadow and I were soaked to the bone as the raindrops pelted us from the dark clouds above, which made the atmosphere even more depressing.

Silence was our only companion, which was sometimes broken by snippets of small talk as we made our way to who-knows-where. I was beginning to see the tops of buildings in the far far distance, which I knew because of how long we had been walking now, would take days to reach on foot.

But it was our only hope.

However, the tops of buildings wasn't the only thing I could see...

Something round...lots of them...moving...

Shadow and I exchanged glances, and slowed our pace as we approached some crossroads.

The faint moans could barely be heard, despite the silence around us.

Shadow immediately grabbed his gun, pushing me back behind him "Shit..."

"We can just turn round and go the other way?" I suggested with a smile.

"Amy...we've been walking miles and the city is in the distance. One, there's bound to be some kind of supplies there and two, it's a waste of time going backwards on ourselves. We'll never make it."

"Well...what do we do?"

Shadow hesitated for a moment, "...We run." He grabbed my hand again and we jogged slowly forward, ready to sprint past when the time was right.

But suddenly, Shadow abruptly stopped, dragging me behind him yet again. Both our eyes widened and we stood in utter horror.

The group wasn't as small as we thought...oh no, it was in fact, _at least _ten times the size.

"Shadow..." I whispered as the undead beings snarled at us, shuffling faster as we entered their line of vision. "Shadow!"

Said person growled in reply "Be quiet! I'm thinking already..."

I frowned "Shadow, there's nothing we can do BUT run, that group takes up the entire crossroads! We have two ways to go - backwards, or forwards and go through them! And I don't know about you but-"

My rant was suddenly cut off by lips harshly placing themselves on mine. Arms pulled me close and my eyes widened as our lips moved in sync. "Rose," Shadow whispered as he pulled away "How many times do I have to tell you - I will protect you. You're forgetting I'm an Ultimate Lifeform."

Yet again our lips met. I could feel the raindrops sliding down my cheeks as though the sky was crying. I could hear the restless moans and groans of the zombies approaching, which made my heart thud loudly. Yet...I could not pull away from the kiss. Kissing in the rain was always so romantic, I thought, despite there being a group of flesh-eaters mere meters away from us.

The sudden screech of tires pulled us apart and we watched with mixed emotions as a large red Range Rover skidded onto the scene, knocking into the nearest few zombies like a bowling ball would knock into pins. Shadow held me protectively as the lights on the car beamed onto the zombies, illuminating them in a pale, bright light...which made them look all the more terrifying.

Seconds later, a hooded figure jumped out of the car, hurling four throwing knives at the zombies nearest to us. They embedded themselves into the skulls with deadly precision. All four dropped to the ground instantaneously.

Just...who _was _this?

"Get in." Was the simple command the figure gave.

Shadow growled "Not a chance, who are you?"

"My name is Reave...I give you my word I mean no harm. Please, get in the car." He instructed again, slicing at another zombie with his weapon, which looked to be bladed tonfa.

I looked at Shadow, before making a split decision and racing over to the vehicle, climbing inside it. "Shadow...COME ON!"

Said person narrowed his eyes, before reluctantly following me and getting inside. "Rose...this is reckless! We don't know this guy, we shouldn't trust him!"

Both Reave and I never replied as our saviour climbed back into the drivers' seat, put the car into gear, and sped off into the rain.

* * *

><p>All was quiet apart from the sound of the engine.<p>

"So..." I cleared my throat "Who are you?"

"As I said, my name is Reave and just like you, I am a survivor in this hell and I am glad I got to you before those creatures."

Shadow frowned "So...what's your story?"

Reave fiddled with the straps on his left wristblade as he spoke, "It was months before this rise of the undead began. Cocoa, a GUN intel agent, had helped me when I was severely wounded, gave me a place to patch myself up... Over time we got closer over the course of a few missions, so close in fact..."

He closed his eyes, "We were meant to be married the day the dead rose. She was taking a final fitting for her dress, and I... I was arranging a surprise for our honeymoon. When they attacked me it was relatively easy for one raised as an assassin to handle all the clumsy attackers. Roughly three dozen." He extended his hookblade, and examined the hook on the end.

"When I found her... I was too late. She was always an expert sniper, but... in close quarters she never learned to watch her back... it was my job to do that... They must have come through the back of the boutique while she was shooting from the front door. She got bit, on the back of her left shoulder..."

Reave opened his eyes, his gold eyes burning, "I tried my best to keep her alive. All my herbal remedies, all the medicine I knew from my family, and none of it did any good. In the end she begged me, _begged me_ not to let her rise as one of those things..."

He doubled over in his seated position, and sheathed his hookblade, "I laid her to rest... and just started walking... and I've never stopped."

Shadow and I stared in stunned silence. My eyes were wide as saucers as Reave waited for it to sink in.

"...I'm sorry to hear that." Shadow finally replied "But at least she's free from this hell now."

Reave didn't reply.

"So," I clear my throat "Where are we going?"

"There's a small group of us hiding out nearby. I was on a sweep for supplies when I found you. I assume you know The Chaotix?"

I nod "Yeah, Vector, Charmy and Espio, right?"

"Correct. They were co-ordinating evacuation of the south side of the city when things got out of control. They, and the small group they could gather, fled elsewhere to safety after being outnumbered. On the way they ran into me and I tagged along. It's been like this for about a week now."

"Wow...so where are you staying? Do you have a camp?"

"Not exactly...just an abandoned block of flats nearby. The lower floor is overrun so we come and go through the back door and sneak up the stairs. The third floor is ours."

"How many of you are there?" Shadow asked

"There are eight of us, including myself and The Chaotix. We work quite well together as a team, but frankly, we have no choice."

Shadow looks to me, his features softening "Are you alright with this?"

"Perfectly fine!" I smiled brightly "I'm just glad to finally see a nice person..."

Reave chuckled as he continued to drive "Are you hungry? I can prepare a fresh meal for you upon our arrival."

"That's very kind of you." I replied "Thank you, Reave."

He noded, and flashed me a small smile as we continued the journey.

* * *

><p>Reave drove us to through the city. It was deathly quiet and unlike anything I've ever seen before. Cars were abandoned on the road, some of them upturned, and random bits and bobs littered the streets. I assumed that looters decided to move in and grab what they could when this all started, but with the bodies on the floor...it was clear they didn't get very far.<p>

There were one or two of the undead stumbling around, paying no attention to the car at all.

"We sweep these buildings for supplies," Reave says "We've cleaned out most of them so we already have a good stock of food and water, and other items."

"Did you kill off the undead here?" Shadow questions, gazing out of the window.

"Not all, but we got rid of a fair few during our runs. Never put yourself in unnecessary risk...kill only when you must."

"Why haven't you cleared the ground floor of the flats?"

"We tried, but it's like a maze down there. Until we better prepare then it isn't worth the risk. We have bigger problems than the ground floor, and so long as we're quiet then it's relatively easy to sneak past them. Everyone residing there has been trained in basic combat in the very least."

"Good. But Rose here has a problem with knowing when to keep her mouth shut." Shadow sends me a smirk.

"HEY!" I pout "That's not fair!"

Reave smiled at our banter "I can tell you two are going to be welcome additions to the group...IF The Chaotix approve first."

"We have our own goals to achieve," Shadow says firmly "I won't make any promises we're going to stay."

"Very well, though perhaps you should discuss this with Vector, not me."

He turned right down a street and I saw the six-storey building up ahead. "Is that it?"

"Yes...I'm going to park around the back along with another of our vehicles, and from then on until I say it is safe to do so, I advise you to not raise your voice above a whisper and do not speak unless necessary."

Shadow and I nodded in understanding and Reave drove the car around the building to where a white van was parked. I began to feel increasingly anxious as we all exited the vehicle and walked silently towards the door. Shadow clutched his gun tightly and pulled me close.

Reave then lowered his hood, and revealed a pair of cat ears as he ever so slowly pushed the door open. He peeked inside the darkness for a moment, before signalling to us to go to him.

Shadow and I followed Reave silently as he went into the darkness. I was shaking at the thought of what might be in there, but I felt safe with Shadow. And something told me I could trust Reave as well. The Ultimate Lifeform shut the door behind us, making my anxiety levels rise.

I could barely see the surroundings, but as my eyes adjusted to the darkness...I began to wish they didn't. The stairs stood on the right hand wall, next to a corridor. The reception desk was on the far side of the room, and about half a dozen of the undead milled about aimlessly. Next to the stairwell was a vending machine that had toppled over, and drinks cans were scattered on the floor.

Reave signaled us to move with him as we silently moved to the stairs and I stuck as close to him as I could, with Shadow bringing up the rear. Our new companion picked up one of the cans and threw it at the reception desk, thus attracting the attention of the zombies. He dashed for the stairwell so suddenly that I didn't have time to register as I automatically followed.

Unfortunately...I missed the drinks can at my feet...and ultimately tripped over it, landing on the floor with a thud as I let out a squeak.

The zombies suddenly turned to us and my eyes went wide.

"Move!" Reave instructed urgently, and as the undead snarled at us, Shadow roughly grabbed my arm and hoisted me over his shoulder, bolting up the stairs with Reave in the lead. I watched as the zombies tripped over one another trying to get up the stairs. Again...I almost put us in danger.

Upon reaching the first floor, Reave banged a fist on the door in such a way it seemed to be some kind of special code, and we were let in, the door bolted securely shut behind us.

Shadow put me back on the ground and glared at me. "Must you be so clumsy all the time?"

"I-I didn't mean to! I couldn't see where I was going!"

Reave cleared his throat to grab our attention and we both turned to him. Four other people were stood staring at us, some with hands on their weapons, others just glaring.

I smiled, whereas Shadow just stared with his piercing gaze.

"Right...well...where's Vector?"

"He's in his office..." A female wolf replied. I noted she was brown, with long blonde hair and the prettiest blue eyes I had ever seen. She certainly looked beautiful.

Reave chuckled, and motioned for us to follow him. Shadow pulled me close yet again as he too kept a hand on his weapon. Obviously...he didn't trust these people and I suppose he had every right to be this way.

We were lead down a rather plain corridor, with a few doors here and there. Reave stopped in front of one and knocked. After being prompted to enter, he opened the door and ushered us both in.

"What do you want now?" Vector's voice came. His eyes focused on us...and it was clear he recognised us "Shadow and Amy?! You guys are alive!"

I grinned "Yup! It's so nice to see a familiar face! Where are Espio and Charmy?"

"On recon. I'm expecting them back soon and I'm pretty sure they'll be thrilled to see you."

"How are you holding up here?" Shadow questioned, pacing around the "office". It was your average hotel room with a desk and a chair in the middle. I had to hold back my laughter...that was Vector for you.

"We're doing the best we can with what we can find. Of course you're quite welcome to stay, gather your energy and rest up. No sense in you leaving just yet. I mean, you're not in a rush to get anywhere, right?"

"Nope!" I replied "Well...not exactly..."

Vector scratched his head in confusion, and just as Shadow opened his mouth to comment the door burst open, making us all turn towards it. Low and behold, Espio and Charmy tumbled into the room and landed with a loud thud on the floor. The former was sprawled on his front as the latter sat atop him, giggling.

"See Espio! I told you I would do it! Haaaa!"

Espio sighed "Charmy...I find it incredible how you can still be so childish at a time like this."

"Oh, Espio! You have to have some fun in times like these! It's what makes the tough times easier!" Charmy suddenly looked up at us, realising that Vector was not the only other person in the room. "Sh-Shadow...and...AMY?!" He squealed, flying over and hovering in front of us "When did you get here? Are you okay?"

"We're fine," I smiled "We haven't been here long. Reave saved us and brought us here."

"Ahhhh Reave...he's a pretty awesome guy! His weapons are like nothing I've ever seen!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow and I could see Charmy's comment had piqued his curiosity.

"So Espio, Charmy..." Vector continued "Anything to report?"

"Hmmm...we found more supplies, canned food, a few bottles of water and the likes. OH! We even got medical stuff!" Charmy smiled, proud.

"I see...and the situation regarding the undead?"

They were both silent for a moment, until Espio answered "...Actually...Vector..."

Shadow and I frowned, and I could see the crocodile in question tense up.

"While we have a very direct threat downstairs...out in the town it seems to be getting worse. I calculate a few weeks at most before we're going to have to leave."

"Couldn't you just...kill them?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"We could...but it's very risky in such an open area. It would require a larger team to be able to sweep it effectively and while I am confident we have the weaponry and prowess to accomplish such a task we could only do so with a bigger number of people."

The room went quiet.

Vector drummed his fingers on his desk "I see...hm...you two continue your sweeps for supplies. In the meantime, I want Alicia and Aero to analyse some maps, see where we could safely move to. I will meet with Reave to discuss a plan of action."

"And us?" Shadow folded his arms.

"Stay with us...eat, and rest up before you think about whether you want to stay or not, though I really hope you do. We've all missed you so much."

"OOH!" Charmy grinned, flying over to hover in front of Shadow. Their dispositions were total opposites... "I can introduce you to the gang! They're pretty fun!"

Espio headed for the door "Rest easy, Charmy. We have quite the battle ahead of us..."

* * *

><p>Later on that day, after having eaten the first decent meal in ages, Charmy showed Shadow and I the floor that they had managed to claim their own. Each of the bedrooms belonged to one of the team and we were told that above this floor was just as dangerous as the one beneath. Or so he assumed, anyway. He told us of his adventures with Espio and Vector and chatted animatedly about looked deep in thought about something, whereas I had to listen to Charmy babble on. Still, it was nice to have such a heated conversation. His childishness I had really missed.<p>

He lead us to a room they had turned into a recreational area and a kitchen. The wolf from before was sat on a couch reading, and a few others were scattered around observing their weapons or eating. They glanced up at us then continued as they were, and I felt very much out of place. I wasn't keen on being an outsider and I could tell Shadow felt the same. His arm had not left my waist since we had started exploring.

"Heeeeeey, guys!" Charmy grinned at them, and sat on the table in front of a male hedgehog who was eating a sandwich. "I came do introduce you all to my friends!"

They all stopped what they were doing and stared at us. I suddenly felt like the new girl in class, when all the other students stare at you curiously, wondering if to make friends with you or keep their distance.

"Uhhhh...hi..." I spoke up, waving slightly. "My name is Amy, and this is-"

"Shadow the Hedgehog. Ultimate lifeform." Said hedgehog cut me off harshly. Seems like he was back to his usual self already...

The girl from before put her book and approached us with a smile "We know who you are, Shadow. May I say...it's a pleasure to finally meet you!"

He just stared at her, expressionless. She blushed awkwardly "W-Well...um...my name is Alicia, and I'm nineteen. Don't worry, you'll be fine here. I met he Chaotix when I was lost. My grandfather and I fled town upon hearing of the outbreak. We spent about a week resting in a mobile home but we were attacked. My grandfather sacrificed himself for me, allowing me to escape. Just when I thought there was no hope left, Espio found me and I've been helping the team ever since. I'm an expert in healing...so I like to think of myself as the medical expert of the group. So yeah...hi!"

I elbowed Shadow, who grunted "Nice to meet you!" I replied with a smile.

There was a pregnant pause (and a very awkward one at that!) before Charmy cleared his throat "Well...aren't the rest of you going to talk? Come on, guuuuys! Don't be shy! Tell them your story!"

The crimson male hedgehog sighed, and finished his sandwich. I noted he had a scar on his right eye, and wondered what caused such a mark. "...My name is Aero. I am twenty six, and I do not tell my story to strangers..."

Shadow glared at him "Hmph..."

"Well I'm Ariel, pleased to meet ya! It's nice to see more living people actually." A female hedgehog waved to us from her perch on the windowsill, sharpening her machete. Her fur was black and she had black and brown bangs framing her face. I figured she could blend into the darkness perfectly...almost like a ninja. "I'm seventeen years of age. My story...well it was just a quiet day at the office for me. Then I came home from work and discovered my parents being eaten by those things..."

I gasped in shock "Oh my...I couldn't imagine how you must have felt!"

"Yeah..." She smiled sadly "It was pretty hard. I stood in utter shock not knowing what to do. Then once it sank in I grabbed my sniper rifle and put a bullet in their heads at point blank range...I had to. Otherwise I would have been next. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there you guys...though you probably already knew that."

"I am sorry for your loss," Shadow whispered, and glanced at me "It seems as though we have all lost something..."

I swallowed hard as my thoughts drifted back to Sonic. I was sure that had he been here, the girls in the room would have been swooning over him, including myself. Everyone here would have recognised him and I couldn't help but think that it would have been easier to fit in.

The last person to be introduced, an albino fox, stood up from her place next to Alicia "My name...is Amaterasu Tukiko and I am eighteen years of age. I was born in Japan, but moved to live a better lifestyle. At the beginning, I so desperately tried to keep my little brother alive as my parents died. We lived in the attic, just the two of us, living on non-perishable foods and bottled water, anything we could scavenge. Eventually though, our supplies ran out and after deciding we needed to move, I packed my family keepsakes and ammo for my father's shotgun and we just...left. My father taught me everything there is to know about sword fighting and combat...I miss him dearly."

I was mesmerized by her voice. She spoke so calmly and elegantly, though I could tell she too had suffered tremendously.

"Ashitaka and I moved from house to house, searching and surviving on any rations we could find. Then one day...he died. I had told him to wait outside while I swept one of the houses and came back to find him gone." She clenched her fit, and I noticed she bit her lip. My heart went out to the poor girl "I searched everywhere, though I finally found him being eaten alive, his body stained red with a look of pure agony on his face. One I never wish to see again. I was lost without him once I crept away. I just broke...so drenched in blood and barely living myself I held my gun to my head ready to commit the act of Seppuku after being defeated by this awful disease."

I tilted my head "You...did what?"

"Seppuku is the act of suicide in Japanese culture..." Shadow informed me quietly, his eyes transfixed on the girl in front of us. Clearly...he was touched by her story.

Amaterasu sighed deeply, her eyes looking like they were about to shed tears "Then...the Chaotix found me and brought my sanity back. Well, some of it anyway." Her hand grasped the dainty silver locket around her neck "This was my mother's...it's all I have left of her."

My lip trembled and I so desperately wanted to give her a hug, though I wasn't sure how she'd be with that. Aero gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a bottle of water, which she sipped at.

"Wow...I...wow..." Was all I could manage to say in reply. The door suddenly opened, and Reave walked in.

"Charmy...Espio would like to see you."

"Aye!" He saluted, and flew out the door with a quick wave.

"So," Reave began "Is everyone better acquainted?"

Shadow nodded "If I may be so bold, may I see your weapon? Charmy let slip that you have weapons he has never seen before."

Reave chuckled, and pulled out a pair of bladed tonfa, swirling them around like an expert...which he obviously was. "My weapons, Shadow the Hedgehog, are unlike any other. Armed with these and my throwing knives I can slice any being - undead or human - into pieces with minimal effort."

Shadow smirked "Is that a challenge?"

The cat raised his eyebrow "I'm afraid not...though perhaps we could train together someday. You are comrades with Sonic, no? Have you heard from him."

The Ultimate Lifeform frowned, and turned to me. I stared at Reave with tears in my eyes "My apologies...did I say something inappropriate?" He commented, sensing the tension.

Shadow cleared his throat, "Sonic...Sonic is-"

"DEAD!" I screamed, bursting into tears "HE'S DEAD AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

The entire team looked positively shocked, as though someone had just told them that Shadow was married with children. If I wasn't so upset, I probably would have laughed at this muse.

"D-Dead?" Alicia stuttered "What...I...how?!"

"He died saving me...it's all my fault! If I wasn't so useless then he would still be here and he'd still be with me..."

The fox came over to hug me tightly "Shhh...it's okay. You have Shadow and us now."

"Hmph..." Shadow replied, turning away from us, making me frown. I pulled away from Alicia and wiped my eyes.

"Shadow...are...you alright?"

"I'm fine. You should get some sleep, Rose. It's been a long day..." He replied simply before heading out. I stood in silence, feeling a little hurt at his abruptness. But it suddenly hit me hard why.

He was _jealous _that I mentioned Sonic.

Shadow the Hedgehog...jealous? It sounded crazy, but remembering his confession and how unsure he was about what his feelings were told me otherwise. He was jealous and didn't understand how to express it, or why he was feeling that way.

Ariel shrugged "Eh...just give him space, Amy. Maybe he just needs to be alone?"

"Y-Yeah...maybe..." I agreed with her, but I couldn't deny the sparks of panic and worry within me.

"So...you two..." She smirked at me "What's YOUR story?"

All eyes were on me now and I gulped nervously. "Well...um...one morning I just woke up and saw the warning on the news. I looked out the window to see absolute chaos everywhere. I was unlucky enough for a zombie to make its way into my flat, so after dealing with that as best I could I rang Sonic. He came to check on me and we agreed to check out the evacuation centre, only to find it was overrun with them. He...he died protecting me, and I was lucky that Shadow stopped by to help. We've been together ever since." A light blush dusted my cheeks.

"..._Together _together?" Alicia grinned, her eyes lightening up.

"Well...uh...I...it's hard to explain..."

"AW! That's so cute! Makes me wonder about Espio actually..."

Aero scoffed, and stood up, heading for the door "If you're going to start fangirling I'm off."

"I KNEW you liked him!" Ariel giggled, hugging her gently. "Ever since he saved you I could tell!"

I barely paid the girls any attention. Instead, I stood staring at the door. "Hey...what's with him?"

"Who, Aero?" Amaterasu replied "He...he's...well, don't cross him is all I'm saying. He's a trusted ally and very tough, but he will not hesitate to do what is needed."

"I suspect that his suffering transformed him into the person we see now." Reave chipped in "From what I learned, he was living with his wife and a five year old son. One day he heard him screaming outside and rushed out to help, only to find him being mauled by one of the undead. Alas, once he managed to control the situation it was already too late...he was dead. Back then Aero wasn't aware of the zombie outbreak so you could imagine how shocked he was upon seeing his son rise and attack him. His instincts kicked in and he had no choice but to kill..."

I stood staring. The horror that these people had been through was. just...I couldn't fathom it. Here I had lost my hero, my crush, my friend for years...and they had lost family members, wives...even children. My heart broke for them.

Reave continued, putting his weapons away as he spoke "He then went off to find his wife, who was apparently working at the time, and discovered the town was overrun. Luckily for him he ran into a girl his wife worked with, who informed him she was struck down by a zombie. I remember when he told me that...the pain and anguish in his eyes was like none other I had ever seen. He was the first outsider of the group, and he told me that before he found us he just didn't care. He went on a killing rampage. It was truly heartbreaking to hear..."

"I'll bet..." I whispered.

"He's a good guy, Amy, really." Ariel smiled sadly "We've all lost, and we've all changed. We're no longer the people we used to be. But one thing is for sure...we have to get through this together. We all trust him and I'm sure he trusts us. Otherwise...he wouldn't be here."

"Yeah...yeah I guess you're right." I smiled "I just...before we came here, Shadow and I encountered another guy on his own who was kind enough to let us stop at his house for a price. Turns out...he was a nutcase. He kept his undead sister as a pet..."

"He _what?!_" Alicia gasped "That...oh chaos...that's _insane_!"

I laughed "Shadow and I got a lucky escape there."

"I'll bet. Well I promise you that none of us are keeping weird undead pets..."

The door suddenly burst open "Uhhhh Reave..." Charmy appeared, looking panicked "W-We need you..."

Reave sensed the panic and raced for the door. What on Mobius was that all about...

"Amy, why don't you go and see if Shadow is okay?" Ariel suggested.

I nodded, and headed for the door myself "Good idea...catch you guys later."

Moments later, I heard the door to Vector's office slam shut, and various other loud slamming noises. Just what was going on? Was it something to worry about? Perhaps he just lost something and was trying to find it?

No...the noise was far too loud to be a desk drawer snapping shut.

"Rose?"

I jumped at the voice, and noted Shadow had appeared in front of me "Shadow...I...was just coming to find you."

"I figured. I apologise for my behaviour earlier. I...I don't know what this feeling is."

"It's okay," I smiled "I do. And trust me, it's nothing to wor-"

"_SHIT! GUYS! ALL HANDS ON DECK! WE HAVE A SITUATION DOWN HERE!_" Aero's voice suddenly boomed, and my blood ran cold as I heard gunshots.

* * *

><p>Oh my...just what on earth happened?! :O<p>

I had so much fun writing this, and I can't wait for the next chapter - full of fighting ;)

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this :)

Much appreciated

CP xoxo

QUESTION! - What inspired you to choose the name you have for your profile? Me, it's very simple - I'm a HUGE chocoholic and I'm a girl. xD


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